Friday
Brazil federal prosecutor appeals decision to annul Lula da Silva’s convictions
The office of Brazil’s prosecutor general on Friday appealed a Supreme Court judge’s ruling earlier this week that annulled the criminal convictions of former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. If successful, the appeal could close the door on the popular politician running in next year’s presidential election, which had become a reality after Monday’s surprise decision by Justice Edson Fachin. Two opinion polls published on Friday, the first since Lula’s convictions were annulled, showed that President Jair Bolsonaro is still favored to win the 2022 election but his advantage has shrunk, and one said 61% do not approve of his handling of the pandemic that has taken 270,000 lives. The survey for Exame business news magazine by pollster Ideia found that Bolsonaro would win a run-o...
PDP advises federal government against increasing pump price of petrol
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday advised the Federal Government against increasing pump price of petrol. The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja said any contemplation to increase pump price of petrol to N212 would worsen the economic and social situations of Nigerians. This was in reaction to a debunk report that the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulation Agency (PPPRA) on Thursday night released a template that a litre of fuel would now be sold for prices ranging from N209 to N212 per litre for March. Ologbondiyan said that the N212 per liter reportedly contemplated in the March pricing template was not in the best interest of Nigerians. “It is a barefaced fact that there is no way that Nigerians can survive such hike in fue...
Activist asks court to compel Kano, others to refund VAT generated from alcohol
An Abuja-based activist, Sesugh Akume, has filed a suit before a Federal High Court in the nation’s capital, asking it to compel states that outlawed the sale of alcohol to refund the sums received through Value Added Tax imposed on alcoholic beverages. About 12 states practise Sharia law in Nigeria. They are Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Zamfara and Niger. Based on Sharia law, some of the states prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages and usually hold public events where bottles of alcoholic drinks are destroyed while gambling is also illegal. However, all the states receive VAT collected from alcoholic beverages sold in other states that permit the sale of the product. In an originating motion brought pursuant to Section 1(3), 4(5), 162(3), (4...
FIDA: Women can now serve as surety in Gombe
International Federation of Women Lawyers, Gombe Branch on Friday, hailed the state government over the Administration of Criminal Justice Law which allows women to stand as surety in bail applications. According to the chairperson of FIDA, Elizabeth Okotie, this law enhances the rights and provides justice for Women and Children, adding that, prior to now, women can’t stand as surety in a criminal case in the state. Okotie stated that this will help boost the sphere of influence, likewise the morale of an average Gombe woman. “International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Gombe Branch wishes to congratulate the government of Gombe State on the successful passing of Administration of Criminal Justice Law in the state which now forms part of the Canon of the state laws. This law enhances...
Price of garri soars in Enugu
ArewaLife Price of cassava flakes popularly called garri and regularly consumed by Nigerians have continued to increase in Enugu State, according to newsmen. NAN correspondent, who conducted a market survey in Enugu on Friday, reported that the price of the staple food has increased by 20 per cent between January and March, 2021. NAN reports that a 4.5 liter bucket of the food item now sells for between N1,100 and N1,400 as against between N900 and N1,000 sold in January, depending on the type. A visit to some markets in the state capital showed that a 4.5 liter paint bucket of white garri sold for N900 in January now went for between N1,100 and N1200. At the Ogbete, Garki and New Markets, a paint bucket of white garri is sold for N1,100 while the yellow garri of the same bucket goes for N...
Expert: Ten cancer facilities inadequate for 200 million Nigerians
A Radiation and Clinical Oncologist, Dr. Tessy Ahmadu, has decried inadequate facilities for cancer treatment in the country. Ahmadu, who is also the Head of the Oncology Department, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abuja, said this in an interview with newsmen on Friday in Abuja. She said rather than blaming the spate of cancer on inadequate expertise in the country, inadequate facilities should be held responsible. According to her, the country has trained oncologists and specialists handling cancer cases. “We have a population of over 200 million but we have less than 10 functional radiotherapy machines in the country,” the medical doctor said. Although Ahmadu said that there were enough experts in the country, she noted that they could still be more than the present number. She said that ...
NIRSAL partners NASENI to create 110,000 jobs in agric sector
The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) has entered into partnership with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) with a view to creating over 110,000 jobs in the nation’s agricultural value chain. NIRSAL said in a statement in Abuja Friday that the move is in “continuation of its mandate of providing end-to-end solutions aimed at fixing breakages along the Agricultural Value Chains (AVC) in Nigeria”. According to the statement, NIRSAL has engaged NASENI as its technical collaborative partner for the conceptualization, design, development, deployment, implementation and execution of various schemes/projects under the NIRSAL-NASENI Comprehensive Tractor Recovery Scheme, the NIRSAL Climate-Smart Modular Geo-Coopera...
Sports minister hails NFF president on FIFA election
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has congratulated NFF president, Amaju Pinnick, on his election into the FIFA council. Dare said this in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media), John Joshua-Akanji, on Friday in Abuja. Pinnick was elected into the FIFA council on Friday at the CAF 43rd general meeting in Rabat, Morocco, winning by 43 votes to his opponent’s eight votes. Dare described the victory as an opportunity for Nigeria and indeed Africa to contribute to the administration of world football. The minister charged Pinnick to use his position to reposition Nigerian and African football. “This is an opportunity to use your new position to make Nigerian, African and World football great again and make it better than you met it. “This is the reward of hard work and...
Asisat Oshoala cleared to return for Barcelona despite Fortuna Hjorring injury
Asisat Oshoala’s absence from Barcelona victory over Santa Teresa will not prevent her from taking part in Wednesday’s second leg against Fortuna Hjorring in the Women’s Champions League. The Nigerian featured in the final 13 minutes for Lluis Cortes’ team, after replacing hat-trick hero Jenni Hermoso at Estadi Johan Cruyff, as the Spanish champions cruised to a 4-0 first-leg victory. Oshoala was forced to watch the last match against Santa from the sidelines, having been left out due to an injury on her right foot. Besides the Nigerian, teammates Lieke Martens and Andrea Falcon also missed the Santa trip due to discomfort in their knees on Friday. Ahead of their trip to Denmark, Oshoala and Martens, however, were cleared to make the Barcelona squad to Hjorring for the second leg match. Th...
Kola Ologbondiyan: Our congresses showcase PDP’s readiness to end misrule in Nigeria
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said the peace, harmony and unity of purpose that characterized the conduct of its zonal congresses in the North-East and South-East geo-political zones last recently Friday and Saturday, is an indication of its readiness to take over the leadership of the country. The national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this yesterday in a chat with newsmen in Abuja. According to him, “the peaceful conduct of its zonal congresses shows the sharp contrast between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC whose activities are always enmeshed in selfish contestations, lust for power, bloody clashes and overheating of our national polity.” The statement continued: “The harmony in the PDP as one indivisible family is a direct product ...
Lobbyist says Myanmar junta wants to improve relations with the West, spurn China
An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist hired by Myanmar’s junta said on Saturday that the generals are keen to leave politics after their coup and seek to improve relations with the United States and distance themselves from China. Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli military intelligence official who has previously represented Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and Sudan’s military rulers, said Myanmar’s generals also want to repatriate Rohingya Muslims who fled to neighboring Bangladesh. The United Nations says more than 50 demonstrators have been killed since the Feb. 1 coup when the military overthrew and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party won polls in November by a landslide. On Friday, a U.N. special envoy urged the Security Council to take action against t...
Women’s Day: Nigerian government urged to look deeper into Leah Sharibu’s case
Sen. Bassey Ewa Henshaw (Cross River South 2003-2011) on Friday called for more equitable distribution of positions, responsibilities and opportunities irrespective of gender and social status to bring out the best in the citizens. Henshaw made the call in Lagos at the flag-off of activities to mark the 2021 International Women’s Day celebration by the Nigeria Girl Guides Association (NGGA). The event featured election of new executives of the NGGA. The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day celebration is: “Choose to Challenge”. The International Women’s Day, held every March 8, is to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. According to the lawmaker, giving equal opportunities to all will provide a sense of belonging to all and advance nationa...
