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Police: No #EndSARS protest in FCT
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Abuja, on Monday dismissed the viral videos and pictures in circulation in the social media suggesting that another #EndSARS protest was staged in the FCT earlier in day describing it as fake news. In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Command’s spokesperson, ASP Yusuf Mariam, the Police described purported #EndSARS protest as fake news designed to cause tension in the FCT and urged the members of the public to disregard it in its entirety. The statement reads in parts, “The Command wishes to categorically state that there was no ‘EndSARS protest’ in the FCT, hence, members of the public are enjoined to disregard the video which is mischievous and intended to cause tension amongst residents.” “While urging residents to ...
Cross River bye-election: Court affirms Stephen Odey as PDP candidate
A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar on Thursday affirmed Dr Stephen Odey as candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the Cross River North Senatorial bye election. Ruling in the suit with number FHC/CA/CS/87/2020, presiding judge, Justice S.A. Amobeda held Odey was the validly nominated candidate of the PDP for the said bye election. Relying on relevant provisions of the the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), provisions of the Electoral Act 2020 and Articles of the PDP guidelines for conduct of its primaries, Justice Amobeda ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Odey as the duly nominated candidate of the People’s Democratic Party to contest the election. Citing the relevant provisions of the const...
Borno holds bye-election for state assembly
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Borno said it has concluded necessary preparations to hold bye-elections for the two vacant seats in the state House of Assembly on Saturday. INEC Resident Electoral Commission in the state, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim told newsmen at a Press Conference on Thursday in Maiduguri, Borno capital the bye-elections for the state constituencies hold in Bayo and Ngazai local governments Saturday. Two members of the House of Assembly representing Bayo and Ngazai State Constituencies died in the heat of Coronavirus pandemic, making the seats vacant. INEC said bye election to fill the vacancies earlier fix for October was postponed due to the anti-police brutality protests in most parts of the country “The commission had earlier fixed 31st October,...
Lagos bye-election: APC, PDP bicker over ‘vote buying’
File Photo Ahead of forthcoming Lagos East Senatorial District bye-election that will hold on December 5, both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State have engaged each other on allegations of voting buying. In a separate statements by the parties, both APC and PDP raised the alarm of attempt to buy vote on the date fixed for the poll.While some residents of the senatorial district have also collaborated the claim’s of APC, alleging that PDP has perfected plan to buy vote with N5, 000 each. The concerned residents who were in different area of senatorial district asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria Police and other security agencies to be at alert, warning that they would resist any plot to undermine the pro...
UEFA Nations League: France draw Belgium, Italy to face Spain in semi-finals
The draw for the UEFA Nations League finals has been conducted, with World Cup holders France set to square off against world number ones Belgium while hosts Italy face Spain next October. The European governing body rubber-stamped Milan and Turin as the cities set to welcome the second edition of the tournament’s showpiece last four event on Thursday, confirming that the Group 1A winners would be on home soil. Roberto Mancini’s Azzurri will welcome La Roja under the stewardship of Luis Enrique to San Siro on October 6, while Didier Deschamps’ Bleus will face Les Diables Rouges led by Roberto Martinez at Allianz Stadium a day later. The winners will then meet in Milan three days later on October 10, with the third-place play-off unfolding in Turin upon the same date. The second semi-final ...
Nigeria most expensive for upstream projects – NNPC chief
The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mele Kyari, has disclosed that Nigeria remains one of the most expensive countries in the world for petroleum upstream projects. Upstream is refers to points in production that originate early on in the processes of crude oil production. Its activities include exploration, drilling, and extraction. Kyari made this known at the Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State during a review meeting with the Permanent Secretary, directors and chief executives of agencies in the Petroleum ministry. According to him, “Nigeria is one of the most expensive territories in the world for upstream projection and part of the corporation’s mandate is to reduce cost by at least five percent. “We have reduced costs substantiall...
France: Coronavirus vaccine will be free for all
France will ensure free COVID-19 vaccinations for all who are in its social security system and has earmarked 1.5 billion euros of next year’s social security budget to cover the cost, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday. Castex said the vaccination campaign would begin in a matter of weeks, pending regulatory approval by the European Medicines Agency. The inoculation programme would be staggered over three categories of people, he said, commencing with the most vulnerable in nursing homes. “The vaccination will be free for all,” Castex told a press conference. France has ordered some 200 million doses from different pharmaceutical companies developing vaccines, Castex said, enough to inoculate 100 million people – more than France’s population. The COVID-19 vaccination will be vol...
Interpol raises the alarm over fake coronavirus vaccines
The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has alerted Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and 190 other countries of threat from organised criminal groups during the upcoming COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, including fake vaccines and the theft of supplies. The alert came as the UK yesterday became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use. The need for a vaccine has become more urgent globally and nationally with Nigeria recording over 67,000 COVID-19 infections and over 1,000 associated fatalities, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has so far identified 49 “candidate vaccines” at the stage of clinical trials in humans. Hopes are high ...
Central bank chief to engage governors on pension funds utilization for infrastructure
Bloomberg Mr Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank Governor, will tomorrow Wednesday, 2nd December 2020, meet with Governors of the 36 states, under the aegis of Nigerian Governors’ Forum, to discuss how to access Pension Funds for Infrastructure Development in the country. Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, Head, Media and Public Affairs of NGF, made this known in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday. According to Bello-Barkindo, the forum will be the 22nd NGF Teleconference meeting which would also seek to evolve a new national security order that will ensure safety of lives and property nationwide. “As part of the effort, beginning at the subnational level, the Forum will be receiving zonal updates on SARS and Internal security at its Wednesday meeting. “Similarly, the Forum will also ...
US braces for continued surge in coronavirus cases, hospitalisations
As newly reported cases of the coronavirus continued to spike across much of the United States, breaking records for hospitalisations, some local leaders are moving to enact more stringent restrictions. US officials had pleaded with Americans to avoid travel and limit social gatherings as the nation entered its winter holiday season. But many appear to have disregarded those pleas over the long Thanksgiving weekend as the Transportation Security Administration screened nearly 1.2 million airline passengers on Sunday, the highest since mid-March. That number is still about 60 percent lower than the comparable day last year when 2.88 million passengers were screened, the highest ever recorded by the agency. Health officials say they are now preparing for a wave of cases over the next two or ...
Joe Biden picks diverse team of top economic advisers
President-elect Joe Biden named former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as his Treasury secretary nominee on Monday, and named three women to other top economic posts, setting the stage for a more diverse White House. While Biden’s transition to the presidency on Jan. 20 appeared to be hitting its stride, he himself was hobbling after fracturing his foot while playing with his dog on Saturday and will wear a protective boot for several weeks, his doctors said. The incoming administration has been hampered for weeks by Republican President Donald Trump, who has refused to concede to Biden, a Democrat. Trump has said without providing evidence that the Nov. 3 vote was fraudulent, claims that state and federal election officials have dismissed. Biden named leading members of an economic tea...
Aruna Quadri records third league victory with TTC in German Bundesliga
Aruna Quadri returned to winning ways with TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell (TTC) in the Table Tennis Bundesliga as the Nigerian was instrumental to his team’s 3-1 win over TTC OE Bad Homburg at the weekend. Quadri who featured in two of the ITTF Restart Tournaments in China last week was in fine form in TTC’s third home win as the team climbed to ninth position in the 12-team league in Germany. With the match played behind closed doors, it was German international Ruwen Filus who started the day for TTC against Lev Katsman that after taking a 2-0 Filus fell behind to allow the visitor to draw 2-2. But Filus played on his experience, to get a decisive set 11: 6 and brought TTC in front with a 3-2 (11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6) win. Fan Bo Meng failed to extend the lead in the duel against R...
