MD
NSITF raises N180 billion from employers’ enrollment in 10 years
The Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Dr. Michael Akabogu, has revealed that the agency has raised N180 billion from employers’ enrollment from July 2011-May 30, 2021. He also said that plans were afoot to plug revenue leakages, even as he warned the public to be wary of fraudsters masquerading as agents of NSITF. At an interactive session with Finance Journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Akabogu also stated that the scheme has registered almost 200,000 employers. Out of this number, 170,000 employers are actively involved in the scheme by making their contributions steadfastly. He added: “We have collected both from the private sector who have contributed about 80% of the total revenue and we have collected from the government and all other agencies, so we...
#EndSARS: Our losses can’t be quantified – LCC
As the probe into the shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate continues, the panel set up by the state government to look into the incident has been told by Mr Abayomi Omomuwa, managing director, Lekki Concession Company, operator of the tollgate, that he could not quantify the losses when the toll gate was occupied by #EndSARS protesters in October. Omomuwa also told the panel that contrary to insinuations, the toll gate was owned by private investors until 2014 when the Lagos State Government acquired it 100 per cent. Omomuwa who disclosed this while under cross-examination by a counsel for some #EndSARS protesters, Mr Adesina Ogunlana, said, “I believe that is the business of the company, not something to discuss in public.” When pressed further by Ogunlana, the LCC MD said, “It is obvious, whe...
US election: Republicans hold back Democrats, narrowing path to Senate control
The battle for power in the Senate tightened into Wednesday as Democrats picked up a seat in Colorado, but suffered a setback in Alabama, and Republicans held their own in high-profile races in South Carolina, Iowa, Texas and Kansas, dramatically narrowing the political map. Republicans fought to retain their Senate majority by turning back a surge of Democrats challenging allies of President Donald Trump, and the Democrats’ various paths to seizing control were growing more limited. With several contests still too early to call, and one Georgia race heading to a January runoff, the final verdict is expected to drag on. Democrats gained a seat when ex-Gov. John Hickenlooper ousted GOP Sen. Cory Gardner in Colorado, a must-win to flip the Senate, but couldn’t hold on in Alabama, where forme...
Gold rises on renewed US stimulus hope, dollar falls
Spot gold rose 0.3 percent to $1,910.56 an ounce at 3:37pm, New York time, after falling as much as 0.5 percent. Gold rose on renewed optimism for a preelection aid package in the U.S., while the dollar fell to a one-week low. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a bill for a compromise stimulus package is being written as she awaits a key phone call with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said his chamber would take up a comprehensive coronavirus package if an accord is struck. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index headed for the third straight decline. Pelosi said in a Bloomberg Television interview that while there are areas where more work is required to get a compromise, she was pleased with the Trump administration’s latest position on coronavirus testing ...
Lagos East: APC has no candidate yet – Lagos chair
Contrary to the news trending on social media platforms announcing the emergence of Polaris Bank MD, Tokunbo Abiru, as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Lagos East Senatorial district, Chairman of All Progressives Congress, (APC) in the State, Hon Tunde Balogun, has said the party has not chosen any candidate for the bye-election. According to Balogun, the news flying around on social spaces is nothing but fake news stressing that no candidate would emerge without a primary. Speaking to newsmen, Hon Balogun said the party is yet to begin sales of Expression of Interest form and that it is impossible for any candidate to emerge without the primary. He said: “This is news to me. We have not even started selling nomination forms. I don’t know where the news of his (...
Police ask Governor Wike to handover ex-NDDC chief
Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, has called on Governor Nyesom Wike to handover former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Joy Nunieh, to him. On Thursday, July 17, 2020, Governor Wike stopped police operatives from arresting Nunieh from her residence. The governor, who argued that the police had no arrest warrant, thereafter took Nunieh under protective custody in Government House, Port Harcourt. However, while addressing journalists at his office on Friday, July 18, 2020, in Port Harcourt, Mukan asked Wike to handover Nunieh to him, saying the former NDDC MD was under investigation. He said the police officers from the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit had been endorsed the Rivers State Police Command before going to Nunieh’s residence to arrest he...
I slapped Senator Akpabio because he harassed me sexually – Ex-NDDC boss
The suspended Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Interim Management Committee, Joi Nunieh, has revealed that she once slapped the Minister of Niger Delta, Godswil Akpabio, for sexually harassing her. She made this known while fielding questions on Arise News on Monday but said what Akpabio attempted to do could not be regarded as ‘attempted rape’. Justifying why she slapped the minister, the former NDDC MD said Akpabio was always scheduling a meeting with her either at his guest house in Apo or in the hotel. She said when he (Akpabio) could not succeed to sleep with her, the Minister then came up with accusation of insubordination to suspend her from office. Ms Nunieh says: “When Akpabio saw that I cannot bring out the money, he now tried Plan B, a case of i...
Lagos arraigns two men over murder of Hungarian
The Lagos State Government has arraigned two men for the murder of Bernadette Tohouo-Tohouo, the Hungarian wife of the MD of Maersk Nigeria Limited, Gildas Tohouo-Tohouo. The Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) led the prosecution of the defendants before the State High Court sitting in the Igbosere area of Lagos Island. The defendants, Olamilekan Oke and Akande Adeyinka were arraigned on eight counts for conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and rape. The offences were said to have been committed on Dec 8, 2019, at about 7:30 pm when they broke into Flat 7a Luggard Avenue, Ikoyi where they killed 44-year-old Bernadette Tohouo-Tohouo by suffocating her to death with a pillow. The defendants also allegedly attempted to kill her husband, Gi...
Pfizer, BioNTech dose U.S first participants of trial coronavirus vaccine
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, that the first participants have been dosed in the U.S in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the BNT162 vaccine program to prevent COVID-19. The trial is part of a global development program, and the dosing of the first cohort in Germany was completed last week. The Phase 1/2 study is designed to determine the safety, immunogenicity and optimal dose level of four mRNA vaccine candidates evaluated in a single, continuous study. The dose level escalation portion (Stage 1) of the Phase 1/2 trial in the U.S will enrol up to 360 healthy subjects into two age cohorts (18-55 and 65-85 years of age). The first subjects immunized in Stage 1 of the study will be healthy adults 18-55 years of age. Older adults will only be immunized with ...
