Journalists
Mozambique army claims militants killed in battle
Mozambique’s military said on Sunday a “significant” number of militants had been killed during a battle over a key northern town and gas hub captured by the Islamic State (ISIS) last month. Palma was seized by the jihadists during coordinated attacks on 24 March, in what was seen as the biggest escalation of the insurgency ravaging the north of the African nation since 2017. The true death toll is not yet known, but thousands were displaced from the town of some 75 000 and the French energy giant Total suspended operations at its multibillion-dollar plant. On Sunday, the army escorted officials and journalists through the ravaged town, claiming a “significant” number of militants had been killed, and that they had now secured the surrounding area. Commander Chongo Vidigal, leading the mil...
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 ...
Nigerian army urges journalists to protect national interests
The Commander, Sector 2, Operation Lafiya Dole, Adamu Nura, has appealed to journalists to prioritise Nigeria’s national interest in their reporting. Nura made the appeal, on Friday, while hosting members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who paid him a courtesy visit in Damaturu. “National interest is more important than any other interests, including public interest; because when you protect national interest, public interest will automatically be covered,” he said. He, therefore, enjoined journalists to always cooperate with security agencies, to protect the national interest in their reporting “and avoid giving any form of publicity to terrorists”. “Security is everybody’s business, without security nothing can be achieved,” he said. He added that the sector was ready to build...
Kogi government expresses readiness to start coronavirus vaccination
The Kogi State Government has expressed readiness to start administering the COVID-19 vaccine to residents. Earlier, Governor Yahaya Bello insisted that he would not allow his people to be used as “guinea pigs by vaccine manufacturers”. But the State Commissioner for Health, Saka Haruna, told journalists on Monday in a telephone interview that Kogi will receive doses of the vaccine on Tuesday ahead of the rollout. He also said the residents will be given “unhindered access to receive the vaccine”. Kogi is the only state yet to start administering the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to residents three weeks after Nigeria began its rollout. The National Primary Health Care Development Agency had attributed the delay to two factors – the state’s “concerns around the contradictory information about...
LOC: Nigerian government yet to release funds for 20th National Sports Festival
The Federal Government is yet to release the funds it promised Edo for the hosting of the 2020 National Sports Festival (NSF) with less than a week to its commencement. Musa Ebomhiana, a Project Manager in the Media and Communications Sub-Committee of the festival’s Local Organising Committee (LOC), disclosed this on Sunday in Benin. He told newsmen however that, while the Edo State Government still remained hopeful the fund would be released, an early release would be better. “This will ensure smooth planning for the nation’s number one sports fiesta,” he said. Ebomhiana pointed out that the need to have a smooth planning was the reason the state’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, had last week appealed for the funds’ early release. “We are taking seriously the promise by the Minister of Y...
2023: Northwest speakers declare support for Asiwaju Tinubu
Serving Speakers and their predecessors from the Northwest zone of Nigeria have declared their support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. Their declarations and promises are coming some weeks after a similar endorsement of Tinubu was carried out by their colleagues in the southwestern zone of Nigeria. At a meeting held in Kano for the states in the northwestern zone on Friday, the senior lawmakers declared that Tinubu remains the right person for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at this time. Some of them argued that with the challenges currently being faced by the country, Nigeria deserves a leader who is detribalised and has shown over time that he has the capacity to lead the country. Praising Asiwaju Tinub...
Rivers: We need more flyovers, interchanges in Port Harcourt – SSG
Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, has declared the Port Harcourt, the state capital, needs more flyovers and interchanges, so that the city can compete with other cities in the world. Danagogo, who addressed journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, said the dream of Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike-led administration was to turn the state capital to Houston, the capital of the State of Texas in the United States of America. He said: “What is the vision of the average Rivers man for the state capital? What Wike is looking at is what Port Harcourt should be tomorrow. The governor’s dream is to make Rivers State, the Texas of America. “Port Harcourt should be like Houston because Port Harcourt is the oil capital of Nigeria. We need more flyovers and interchanges. The fly...
Niger community embark on protest over lack of electricity supply
File Photo The Hausawa community in Sabon-Dikko, Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State yesterday protested against the lack of electricity and other basic social amenities in the area. The community claimed that for one year after the transformer they bought through community efforts got burnt beyond repairs, and requests made to the Abuja Electricity Development Company (AEDC) for its replacement, the area has remained without electricity. The community, which claimed to have one million population, also decried the absence of educational institutions, health facility and potable in the area. In a protest letter sent to the state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, the Senator representing the area in the National Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Musa, and the AEDC, the community la...
Ekiti by-election: Shot policewoman recuperating – CP
Contrary to the news making the rounds, that a policewoman lost her life during Saturday’s bloody poll, in Ekiti East Constituency 1, the Ekiti State Police Commissioner, Mr Babatunde Mobayo, has clarified that she is alive and responding to treatment. Mobayo said the Policewoman who was shot during Saturday’s House of Assembly bye-election, only sustained gunshot wounds and was immediately rushed to the hospital for medicare. Three persons were on Saturday shot dead by suspected party thugs while five others sustained gunshot wounds during the House of Assembly bye-election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state constituency. Speaking with journalists via telephone in Ado Ekiti, on Sunday, Mobayo, who responded through the Command’s spokesman, ASP S...
#EndSARS: Lagos assembly committee commends council chairmen’s resilience
Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr AdbulSobur Olawale, has commended the Executive Chairman of Ajeromi Local Government, LG, Mr. Fatai Ayoola, management and staff members for the resilience to rebuild the Secretariat that was destroyed during the aftermath of the ENDSARS protest. Olawale, who is also the Chairman of, House Committee on Local Government and Community Relations, disclosed that the Secretariat was among those government facilities that were destroyed by hoodlums during the aftermath of the ENDSARS protest. In the same view, the lawmaker applauded Council Chairman of Ifelodun Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Mr Shaibu Ajidagba for building the legislative chamber during his tenure in office. Speaking with journalists, after the oversight function to both Aje...
IPMAN impounds trucks transporting adulterated petrol in Bayelsa
Taskforce personnel attached to the Bayelsa State chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), have apprehended three tankers suspected to be transporting adulterated Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from an unidentified source into the state. Bayelsa State Coordinator of IPMAN, Mr. Bello Bina, who confirmed the development to journalists on Saturday, said the trucks were impounded along the Sagbama section of the East-West road. He alleged that some unidentified policemen were currently trying to frustrate the effort of the task force by insisting that the suspected adulterated products are owned by a highly influential person. He said when the effort of the policemen failed, an unidentified man called him on the phone to plead with him to take some financial g...
Ogun government sets up coronavirus vaccination centre for journalists
The Ogun State Government on Thursday said it will begin to vaccinate journalists against COVID-19 on Friday, which it said was part of efforts aimed at ensuring that the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine is brought nearer to the people The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kunle Somorin, disclosed this in a statement, adding that the facilitation centre was set up to main-stream journalists into the vaccination process because they are frontline workers. “Journalists are frontline workers and deserve to be treated specially because their profession exposes them so much to the ravaging virus. They, like health workers and security people, were on the road when everyone else stayed at home at the height of the pandemic,” the statement said. ‘Therefore from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Frid...
