HOPE
Senate passes amended AMCON bill, empowers agency to seize debtors’ assets
The Senate Wednesday passed the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Amendment bill after considering the report of its Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions. The amendment bill passed by the upper chamber empowers the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria to, among others, take possession, manage or sell all properties traced to debtors, whether or not such assets or property is used as security/collateral for obtaining the loan in particular. It also empowers the corporation to access the Special Tribunal established by the BOFIA, 2020 for dealing with financial related matters. Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Uba Sani (APC, Kaduna Central) said the Committee engaged with stakeholders such as AMCON, Federal Ministry of Finance, ...
Forces opposed to Somali president control parts of Mogadishu
Gunmen opposed to Somalia’s Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed had control of strategic parts of the capital Mogadishu on Monday, Reuters journalists saw, after factions in the security forces clashed at the weekend over his term extension. Mohamed signed a law earlier this month extending his mandate for two years after elections were cancelled, setting off a political furore that threatens to distract Somalia’s armed forces from fighting al Qaeda-linked insurgents. The presidential term extension has also irked foreign donors, who have backed his fragile government in the hope of bringing long-needed stability to the Horn of Africa nation largely in turmoil since a 1991 civil war. After exchanges of gunfire rocked Mogadishu on Sunday and some forces came from outside the capital, anti-Mohamed fac...
Antonio Conte provides fresh update about his Inter future
Inter coach, Antonio Conte, has said he’d like to stay at Inter and is aware his ‘surname brings responsibility.’ The Italian tactician said Inter have 95 per cent of chances to win the Scudetto after their 1-0 win over Hellas Verona. After his interview with DAZN, he spoke to Sky Sport, giving an update about his future. “I am a person who focuses on the present. Until there is something in hand, I cannot talk about it. That would be stupid and presumptuous of me,” he had claimed in his pre-match press conference on Saturday. “I was clear, we must remain focus on the present, we’ll have time to talk about the next season and the Champions League,” he insisted after Inter-Verona. Will the Suning project be crucial to understand his future at the club? “If you ask the same thing to our dire...
Benue governor: My strength lies with the people
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state Friday said his strength lies with God and the people of Benue state who have always been his pillar and supported his political endeavors. The Governor who spoke Friday while feting widows, orphans the disabled and children with special needs in Makurdi on his 60th birthday anniversary commended Benue people for standing with him at all times. He said he had to celebrate with the selected people to give them a sense of belonging, hope and reassurance that they were integral part of the society and also deserved to be accorded desired attention. “I am what I am because God is with me and my people are with me as well. That is were I draw my strength from and that is what makes me what I am. I am nothing without God and my people. That is why all I do is...
President Buhari condoles with Adamawa community over insurgents attack
President Muhammad Buhari has condoled with Kwapre community in Hong Local Government Area (LGA) of Adamawa over the recent Boko Haram insurgents attack. Buhari, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said this when he visited the community on Sunday. The president expressed his deepest sympathy and condolence to the affected community. ”I am in Kwapre to see things under the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari and to symphatise and condole with the community. ”I have seen the level of destructions which is tragic of monumental dimension. ”I am deeply saddened by what I saw and am assuring the community, government will do all what is possible to protect lives and property of the citizens,” he said. He said that from information available, over 78 ...
RCCG apologises to minister over Osun road project
File Photo Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), on Thursday, dismissed alleged payment of N151million to a firm for a road rehabilitated by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Osun State. Fashola in his submission before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, probing the allegation, said the claim by the church was untrue. He said the 15-kilometer road was awarded to Messrs Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited at the cost of N662.7million by the Federal Government in 2011. He said the Ministry paid N99million as 15% mobilisation fee and N52million to the contractor after the firm achieved 26.2 per cent of work done on the road in March and December 2011, respectively. He insisted that the award of the contract and the subsequent p...
NNPC to partner Borno government to establish gas power plant
The Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Alhaji Mele Kyari has said that the corporation will partner with Borno State Government to establish a Gas Power Plant following the vandalization of the national grid by insurgents which put the state almost three months into total blackout. Kyari who led a powerful delegation on a courtesy call on Governor Babagana Umara Zulum on Friday said, the Federal Government will not fold its arms and neglect the state which is been ravaged by insurgents, especially cut off from the national grid, as power is a source of income to the teaming people of the state. “We are here with my colleagues, the Head of Gas and Power Business, Engineer Yusuf Usman, Representatives of Greensville Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which is a...
NSF: We’ve surpassed our expectations in swimming – Bayelsa coach
The coach of Bayelsa’s swimming team, Gentle Offoin, says the team has surpassed its expectations at the ongoing 20th National Sports Festival (NSF), Edo 2020. Offoin told newsmen in Edo on Friday, that nobody could stop Bayelsa in any swimming event after this NSF. The coach said the team’s success so far at the ongoing Edo 2020 was not magic, but due to hard work and the support of the state government. “Our success here is not magic, it is the training. We spent a lot of time training and training, even when the festival was postponed. “We kept training and at the end we got the result. “Our expectation for the festival was to win 10 gold medals, so far, we have nine and this is just the fifth day of the NSF and we hope to surpass our expectation,” he said. He added that the team hoped ...
APC chieftain writes on ’21 political lies in Nigeria’
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, says his book on “21 political lies in Nigeria” is to educate the electorate on the antics of politicians during elections. Oyedepo said this on Monday in Ilorin while speaking at the presentation of the book. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 21 chapter, 140 pages book chronicled many lies told by politicians to win votes during campaigns. According to Iyiola, the book is targeted mainly to educate the electorate on how to vote for candidates seeking their franchise, adding that if the electorate votes wrongly, it will live with them for another four years. He said: “I sat down and examined issues through which we win election and I discovered that some of these issues may be there. “They are imp...
NMA apologises to Nigerians, patients over resident doctors strike
File Photo Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has apologised to Nigerians, especially patients at various government hospitals, over the strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). Dr Enema Amodu, the Chairman, NMA, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, made the plea on Sunday in Abuja while addressing newsmen over the NARD strike. According to him, the association is sorry and wishes to apologise to Nigerians over the action. The resident doctors embarked on strike on April 1 to press home their demand for upward review of their N5000 hazard allowance, payment of outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance, among others. He said “we are not insensitive; we hope that government and those in charge of the discussion with NARD will take it seriously, with a v...
Easter: VP Osinbajo urges Nigerians to have hope, says all will be well
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called on Nigerians not to lose hope in the country, saying things will get better for Nigeria. Osinbajo stated this during a brief chat with journalists after the Easter Sunday service at the Aso Villa Chapel on Sunday, April 4, 2021. He said, “I just want to thank God for our nation, and pray that our nation will experience the grace and mercy of God in so many different ways that we are expecting His grace and mercy. All will be well in Jesus’ name.” While wishing Nigerians a Happy Easter celebration, the VP added that the message of Easter is a message of the special and exceeding love and grace of God. He said, “God’s plan for humanity was that Christ will die and will resurrect. The resurrection is evidence of the fact that those who believe would be ...
Governor Wike: Nobody can undermine Rivers in quest for Nigeria’s presidency
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that anybody jostling to be president of Nigeria would also need to secure votes in Rivers to combine with either Kano or Lagos to emerge victorious. Wike said such pivotal position establishes the importance of Rivers State in the political scheme of the country, stating that nobody would be allowed to undermine it. He made the assertion at the grand finale of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Local Government Election Campaign that held at Ulakwo in Etche Local Government Area, yesterday. The governor said: “I keep telling the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that no state has given more votes to the party than Rivers. “And it is only in Rivers, in the whole of South-South, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) didn’t get 25 per cent votes...