Ministry
Stabbing Westward Serve Up Aural Treat With Hallowed Hymns for Halloween
Industrial icons Stabbing Westward treated fans to Hallowed Hymns today (Oct. 30), a surprise covers EP that includes takes on The Cure’s “Burn,” Ministry’s “(Every Day Is) Halloween” and Echo & The Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon.” “2020 has been a shit year. We were supposed to release our new album and tour the U.S. to support it. But clearly, that’s not happening,” singer Christopher Hall said in a statement. “We know Halloween is different this year with no parties and no Trick or Treating so we wanted to give fans something special …. something that will help tide you over until we can release some new music.” A special “Devil’s Night Mix” version of Stabbing Westward’s “Burn” cover round out the surprise release. Listen to that below. [embedded content] The band is curren...
ICPC uncovers N5.17 billion fraud in education, agric ministries
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has uncovered diversion of part of the N2.67 billion payments made to some Federal Colleges for school feeding during lockdown. The Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, who stated this at the 2nd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption with the theme: “Together Against Corruption and Launch of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy”, said preliminary investigation had indicated that part of the N2.67billion was diverted to private accounts. The event, presided over President Muhammadu Buhari, was held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday. The ICPC boss said: “We observed that transfer to sub-Treasury Single Account was to prevent disbursement from being monitored. ...
Ministry dissociates self from diverted school feeding funds
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has dissociated itself from reports that N2.67bn meant for the feeding of schoolchildren during the lockdown was diverted to private accounts. In a statement issued on Monday night by the Special Assistant on Media to the ministry’s minister, Nneka Anibeze, the ministry stated that the statement by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on the said funds was twisted and misinterpreted. “The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development hereby informs the public that the Federal Government colleges school feeding in question is different from the Home Grown School Feeding which is one of its Social Investment Programmes,” it said in the statement. ...
Cross River rice farmers protest unpaid salaries
At least, 300 youths engaged as Rice farmers by the Cross River State Government protested on Monday over the non-payment of three months salaries. The workers, who protested with placards at the Ministry of Agriculture in Calabar, said they worked at the state rice farm and they could no longer continue working everyday without being paid at the end of the month. According to one of the workers, they have started harvesting the rice, which they planted three months ago, yet they have not been paid their salaries. The worker said, “We are some of the people who worked in the Cross River State rice farm at the time. We resumed on May 4, this year. “We worked and they paid us salaries on the 6th of June. But they did not pay everybody because they left that day when the governor personally c...
Subsidy removal: Nigerian government sets up modalities to disburse 2,000 buses
The Federal Government on Monday in Abuja has set up modalities for the disbursement of 2, 000 buses to cushion effects of subsidy removal. Dr George Akume, Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs in his speech at Inter-Ministerial Stakeholders meeting on Poverty Alleviation, said the initiative was also part of programme to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty. Akume said the initiative was in collaboration between his ministry, Agriculture and other government agencies saying the disbursement of the buses would be through cooperative societies of Nigeria. He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari in his 2019 democracy speech, promised to lift 100 Nigerians out of poverty through numerous governments` initiatives. “The alleviation of poverty in Nigeria has been and...
Kaduna to revive guidance, counselling unit in public schools
The Kaduna State Government said on Friday that it would revive guidance and counselling unit in public Secondary Schools in the state. Hajiya Imma Ahmad, Director-General, Kaduna State School Quality Assurance Authority, made this known at the close of a five-day training for secondary school teachers in Kaduna. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was organised by the state Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authority (AFTRA). Ahmad said that the counselling manual had been developed as part of efforts to ensure that every school has a functional guidance and counselling unit. “Our teachers these days just teach and leave the classroom with no form of counselling to improve the morals of the students or guide the...
Saudi Arabia set to begin Umrah for local pilgrims
The Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday that the “resumption of Umrah will be done gradually depending on COVID-19 conditions.” According to Haramain Sharifain, Umrah will first be resumed for locals (residents of Saudi Arabia) and that too will be allowed in ‘limited numbers’. The source confirmed previous speculations that an application is being developed which will allow for registration of the pilgrim’s intended time and date for the performance of Umrah and also a negative COVID-19 PCR report will be a mandatory requirement. If the intending pilgrim fulfils all conditions then an “Umrah permit” will be issued. Regarding the opening date of Umrah, the source said that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will announce the full mechanism in the coming days. It will be recalled that Saud...
Senator Akpabio denies accusing National Assembly members of NDDC contracts fraud
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Tuesday, denied that he accused members of the National Assembly of fraud concerning contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. The minister had, during an investigative hearing at the House of Representatives, claimed that 60 percent of NDDC contracts went to the federal lawmakers. However, as the House threatened to initiate a criminal complaint of perjury and explore the possibility of a civil defamation suit against him, Akpabio denied he ever referred to members of the 9th House of Representatives as beneficiaries of contracts in NDDC. He noted that NDDC was yet to fully implement any budget since the commencement of the 9th National Assembly. Also, Akpabio while responding to questions after a visit to t...
27 Stranded Nigerian girls evacuated from Lebanon arrive Abuja
Another batch of 27 stranded Nigerian girls evacuated from Lebanon by the Federal Government and the Lebanese Government, as well as its community in Nigeria arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Sunday. Receiving them, Ferdinand Nwonye, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who represented the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the evacuation was in fulfillment of the Nigerian Government’s promise to ensure no Nigerian is left stranded in Lebanon. Newsmen report that there have been several pleas from Nigerians stranded in Lebanon for assistance to enable them to return home. Nwonye said the Nigerian Government was aware of the unfortunate situation they experienced in Lebanon, hence the collaboration to ensure their safe return to t...
NOA mobilizes Sokoto communities against open defecation
File Photo The National Orientation Agency (NOA), has commenced active community engagements against open defecations in rural communities in Sokoto State. The state Director of NOA, Alhaji Maude Danchadi disclosed this at a stakeholders meeting on ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ campaign, held on Wednesday in Sokoto. He said that the campaign was in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. He said that NOA would deploy its robust structures and officials in local government areas to promote reorientation and mobilise Nigerians for social change and prevention of open defecations. Danchadi noted that open defecation and poor sanitation have implication on public health, especially in the outbreak of water-borne diseases, and high mortality rate in rural areas. According to...
NBS: ICT sector contributes 17.83% to nation’s economy
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), on Monday released Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), report for in the second quarter of 2020 (Q2 2020), showing 17.83 per cent contribution by the Information, Communication and Technology sector. A statement signed by Dr Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant, Information Technology, said the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, expressed delight to hear of the growth of Information Communications Technology’s (ICT) contribution to Nigeria’s GDP. According to the NBS, Nigeria’s GDP decreased by minus six to10 per cent, year-on-year, in real terms in the second quarter of 2020. The decrease was largely attributable to significantly lower levels of both domestic and international economic activity during the quarter, whic...
NYCN youth leaders ‘missing’ in Port Harcourt
Two members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Napoleon Spiff and Zachariah Levi George have been reported missing after they attended an event at the Ministry of Justice Conference Hall in Port Harcourt. Rivers State NYCN Chairman, Chijioke Ihunwo, who disclosed this said the youths have been missing for four days. Spiff is the Chairman of the NYCN in the Rivers East Senatorial District, while Levi George is the National President of the National Union of Rivers State Students. Ihunwo appealed to security agencies in the state to launch a manhunt for the missing youths. According to him, families of the youths were in distress over their whereabouts, even as he expressed fears that they may have been kidnapped. “I want to use this medium to inform the Rivers State Commission...
