Enforcement
US regulator touts to ‘aggressively police’ crypto in new report
The U.S. commodities regulator certainly doesn’t want to look like it’s going easy on crypto, revealing it was behind 18 separate enforcement actions targeting digital assets in the 2022 fiscal year. In an Oct. 20 report from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a total of 82 enforcement actions were filed in 2022’s fiscal year, imposing $2.5 billion in “restitution, disgorgement and civil monetary penalties either through settlement or litigation.” The CFTC said that 20% of the enforcements were aimed at digital asset businesses, with chairman Rostin Behnam stating: “This FY 2022 enforcement report shows the CFTC continues to aggressively police new digital commodity asset markets with all of its available tools.” One of the more recent CFTC enforcement actions tha...
Bayelsa government resolves crisis at Niger Delta University
The mediatory meeting covered Wednesday at the instance of the Bayelsa State Government between the Governing Council of the Niger Delta University, NDU, students’ representatives and other stakeholders has restored normalcy to the state-owned university. Students of the university had been protesting against the closure of the institution’s portal for payment of school fees and alleged enforcement of compulsory wearing of school uniform by the university authorities. But rising from the last round of meetings directed by Governor Douye Diri which were presided over by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, at the Government House, Yenagoa, it was agreed that the portal for the payment of school fees be reopened. A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara At...
Lagos marks 70 houses for demolition, 20 on the Island
The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) said it is set to demolish 70 distressed buildings in the state. Twenty of the buildings are on Lagos Island. The agency made this known after bulldozing a partially collapsed house at 19 Church Street on the Island. LASBCA spokesman, Mr Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, said the General Manager of the agency Mr Gbolahan Oki, supervised the demolition. Oki said it has became an urgency to immediately remove the dilapidated and distressed building, which were no longer fit for human habitation, to prevent collapse. He said many defective buildings had been marked for removal in a bid to end the era of building collapses. Oki noted that his team had earlier visited the distressed buildings to get an on the spot assessment and asked the residents to reloca...
Ondo government reads riot act to cultists
Ondo State government has declared a clampdown on cultists and cult activities in the state. The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Donald Ojogo, who disclosed this during a media briefing shortly after the State Executive Council meeting, warned parents and guardians to caution their children and wards against cultism. He said “the State Executive Council noted the activities of cultists and cult groups. As you know, Ondo state is not insulated from the menance of cultism. There will be a clampdown on cult activities and cult groups in the state.” Also, he disclosed that the council reiterated the ban on commercial motorcyclists operations in the state. “Council noted the activities of commercial motorcyclists and reiterated that the ban placed on Okada riders from op...
Twitter pushes back on ban by Nigerian government
Micro blogging social platform, Twitter, has pushed back on ban by the Federal Government. It described it as brazen affront on citizens fundamental human rights and advised its users and other social media platforms in the country to download virtual private networks (VPNs) to enable them continue to use the platforms for their economic survival and social and political engagements while the “push back on this draconian order by the Nigerian government.” In a statement, Twitter said: “Today, the 4th of June 2021, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced its suspension of Twitter operations, that the application can be used as a platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence. “Many Nigerians read the announcement of the ban on Twitter as a reflection of the...
FRSC: 90% of trucks in Nigeria over 30 years
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says 90 per cent of trucks in the country are over 30 years. The FRSC Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, disclosed this in an interactive session between the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), the FRSC and Haulage operators on Monday in Lagos. Oyeyemi called for an improvement on the maintenance and standardisation schemes for vehicles as most of them lacked safety measures like lighting, reflectors and other parts. He stressed the need for an intervention from the Federal Government to ensure truckers had fleet renewal as vehicles that had been on the road for 30-years should be scrapped. Oyeyemi pointed out that “due to the age of the trucks, they frequently breakdown on the road prolonging the days goods spend on the road before getting to its destinat...
Amotekun operatives to patrol South-west borders
Chairman of Council of Amotekun Commanders in the South-west region, Chief Adetunji Adeyeye, has said operatives of the Amotekun corps will engage in inter-state border patrol in the South-west to ensure synergy in crime fighting. Adeyeye, who is the Corps Commander of Ondo Amotekun, said the synergy expected among the South-west states would be enhanced so that a criminal that escaped from Ondo to Ekiti State could be easily apprehended Adeyeye, who spoke in Akure, said the destruction of farmlands by herders in Ondo State has greatly reduced owing to enforcement of the ban on open grazing. He said herders now offer money to farmers whose crops were destroyed unlike previously when they would walk away. His words: “Being Chairman of the Council of Amotekun Commanders is a greater call to ...
Bauchi traffic agency to enforce ban on commercial motorcyclists – chairman
The Bauchi State Road Traffic Agency (BAROTA), on Tuesday, reiterated that activities of commercial motorcycle riders, popularly known as ‘Okada’ or ‘Achaba’, remained banned in the state. Mr Tijjani Gamawa, Chairman of the agency, who made this known at a news conference in Bauchi, stated that the agency would ensure the enforcement of the ban. Newsmen recall that the Bauchi state government, in March 2020, banned the activities of commercial motorcyclists as one of the measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in the state. Gamawa also explained that anybody conveying three or more people on his motorcycle and riding recklessly would be regarded as a commercial rider, and would be arrested and his motorcycle seized. Similarly, the chairman warned that any tricycle rider (Keke Napep)...
‘Coronavirus restriction’: Nigerian government quoted out of context – minister
The federal government on Tuesday denied media reports that it has “introduced or re-introduced’’ new restrictions on COVID-19. Information minister Lai Mohammed made the rebuttal at a meeting with online publishers in Lagos. Mohammed said there were no new restrictions, adding that the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 only reiterated existing regulations to control spread of the disease. The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 had on Monday announced the enforcement of a curfew across the country in a move it said was to forestall a possible new wave of the pandemic. “The nationwide curfew will be imposed tonight at midnight and it will run through till 4:00 a.m.,” the committee stated. But the minister, a member of the steering committee, said the committee’s national ...
Lagos to demolish shanties, takeover abandoned buildings
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday said that the government would continue to demolish shanties across the state. Sanwo-Olu said this during the Security Stakeholders Town Hall Meeting at Ikeja, adding that the state government would also confiscate abandoned buildings. He said that the shanties, abandoned buildings and vehicles were hideouts for criminals, hence, should be tackled. Sanwo-Olu said the government had demolished several hundreds of shanties and illegal structures around the state since November 2020. ”These shanties, by serving as hideouts for criminals, have exacerbated the insecurity situation in Lagos State. ”This clean up exercise will continue, even as we strive to ensure the creation of jobs and economic opportunities that will take people off the s...
Nigerian government establishes 20 new marriage registries
The Federal Government has established 20 new Federal Marriage Registries across the country in a bid to bring Federal Marriage Registry closer to the grassroots. Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this Friday in Abuja at a National Stakeholders’ Conference on the Administration and Conduct of Statutory Marriage in Nigeria. According to him, efforts are ongoing to have Federal Marriage Registries in all the State Capitals of the Federation. A statement issued by the ministry’s Department of Press and Public Relations and signed by Towoju Raphael added that the Minister was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore. He said the Conference was necessitated by need for the Ministry to inform stakeholders and enlighten the public on some new...
Kaduna strike: Northern governors call for calm
The Northern Governors Forum has called for calm and dialogue between Kaduna State Government and organised labour, to resolve the ongoing warning strike by workers in the state. The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau, Mr Simon Lalong, made the call in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr. Makut Macham, on Tuesday in Jos. He said the forum was concerned of the impact of the strike on the state and its residents following the lockdown of economic activities in the state. The chairman noted that dialogue and negotiations were effective tools of addressing dispute in labour relations. He called for restraint and de-escalation of the situation to enable amicable resolutions. He pointed out that peaceful resolution was only possible when both parties operate wi...