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Anambra: JUSUN strike a national issue, not state-driven
The Anambra State Government on Monday said the ongoing strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), was a national issue and not state-driven. Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, Secretary to the State Government, made the assertion, while addressing members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Anambra branch, at a peaceful protest to the Government House in Awka. Newsmen report that the protest followed a directive issued on April 18 by the President of the NBA, Mr Olumide Akpata, to all branches of the association. Chukwulobelu said the executive was aware of the need to ensure that all aspects of the three arms of government function properly. “Your demands on independent judiciary are very important, but it is a national issue. “The fact that the courts are not sitting is not becaus...
NALDA to establish integrated farm estate in Ogun
The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) says it has concluded plans to establish an integrated farm estate in Ogun State. The agency also said it would set up a cassava processing plant and train 200 graduates in the state in soil testing technology. These moves according to NALDA are in line with its determination to boost the Cassava value chain and job creation for youths in the country. The Cassava processing plant would compliment the Integrated Farm Estates to be established in the three Senatorial zones of the state. The farm estate would comprise of different agricultural activities which includes farming, processing and packaging areas, commodity market, residential areas and schools. Executive secretary of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne made this disclosure when h...
Nollywood actress: Why I changed my name
Nollywood actress, Belinda Effah, has revealed that she will now be officially addressed as Grace-Charis Bassey. The actress recently announced this development on her Instagram page. Speaking at a press conference which held on the set of “Nollywood Queens” reality show during the week, Effah disclosed that she changed her name from Belinda Effah to Grace-Charis Bassey. According to the actress, her divine encounter with God prompted the name change. Her words; “I had to change my name and the only thing that can make me change my name will be the most supreme being which is God. A lot of people will not understand that. So I don’t bother to explain to people when they ask me why. On the 15th of August last year. I had a divine encounter with God to change my name to Grace. Nobody changed...
Saudi and UAE condemn Israel over Palestinian clashes at Al-Aqsa
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday condemned Israel’s plans to evict Palestinians from homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers, following a night of violence in Jerusalem. Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades towards rock-hurling Palestinian youth at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque late on Friday. The clashes at Islam’s third holiest site and around East Jerusalem, which injured 205 Palestinians and 17 police officers, came amid mounting anger over the planned evictions. “Saudi Arabia rejects Israel’s plans and measures to evict dozens of Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem and impose Israeli sovereignty over them,” the kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement carried on Saudi-owned Al Arabiya. The UAE, which normalised relations with...
Nigerian government establishes 20 new marriage registries
The Federal Government has established 20 new Federal Marriage Registries across the country in a bid to bring Federal Marriage Registry closer to the grassroots. Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this Friday in Abuja at a National Stakeholders’ Conference on the Administration and Conduct of Statutory Marriage in Nigeria. According to him, efforts are ongoing to have Federal Marriage Registries in all the State Capitals of the Federation. A statement issued by the ministry’s Department of Press and Public Relations and signed by Towoju Raphael added that the Minister was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore. He said the Conference was necessitated by need for the Ministry to inform stakeholders and enlighten the public on some new...
CBN governor seeks PPP model to improve healthcare infrastructure
Bloomberg The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has urged stakeholders in the public and private sectors to collaborate to build a more healthy and robust healthcare infrastructure in Nigeria. The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, made the call at a movie launch titled: “UNMASKED”, a feature documentary on leadership, trust and the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The movie was produced and directed by Mr Femi Odugbemi, a Nigerian documentary filmmaker, and co-produced by Ms Kadaria Ahmed, a renowned journalist, media entrepreneur and television host, on Friday in Lagos. According to Emefiele, addressing the public health crisis along with the downturn in the economy required strong coordination. He said the measures and interventions put in place by the CBN and private sector to improve governme...
Edo to spend N3 billion on economic recovery programme
Edo state government will spend over N3 billion to implement the Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus Programme. The programme is a component of the Nigeria Cares World Bank Support Programme. The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment, Joel Edionwe, disclosed this while briefing journalists on Wednesday. He explained that the state government is to provide grants to support businesses affected during the Covid-19 lock-down. According to him, the total package the World Bank support programme for Nigeria is $750 million, adding that its implementation would run from 2021 to 2022. “What they will get from Edo state government is a grant to repay the loans they took for their businesses affected by the pandemic. We do not need to ...
Femi Falana: NBC’s N5 million fine imposed on Channels TV illegal
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, says the fine imposed on Channels Television by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is illegal. He said the agency should publicly apologise and refund the fine — if it has already been paid. The TV station was sanctioned for interviewing the spokesperson of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Inspiration FM was also ordered to pay a fine of N5 million for airing a broadcast of IPOB wherein “secessionist claims” were allegedly made. Speaking in Lagos on Thursday at the launch of a report by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Falana said NBC did not allow for fair hearing, as stipulated in the broadcasting act. He said the agency didn’t comply with the provisions of law, adding that the amendment code under w...
Official: Lagos residents consume N5 trillion worth of food annually
The Lagos State Government says residents of the state are consuming food and agricultural produce worth about N5 trillion annually. Ms Abisola Olusanya, the Commissioner for Agriculture, made this known at a news conference on Thursday in Lagos to commemorate the second year in office of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration. Olusanya said that the amount might increase to N6.3 trillion by 2030, if the population of the state grew to 30 million. “It is worthy to note that in terms of the amount of food we consume in Lagos on an annual basis, it is almost N5 trillion. “If the population is to grow to about 30 million by 2030, Lagos will likely need food worth N6.3 trillion on an annual basis,’’ she said. According to her, currently, Lagos is producing about 20 to 24 per cent of its food...
Hugo Broos takes over as Bafana Bafana manager
Pool Photo On Wednesday, the South African Football Association (SAFA) appointed Hugo Broos as the new Bafana Bafana coach. Broos, a Belgian football coach, had previously managed the Cameroonian senior men’s national football team and is expected in the Rainbow Nation next week. Upon his arrival, Broos is scheduled to meet all football stakeholders including members of the media and address the Press. In his initial remarks about his appointment, the 69-year-old Belgian said he was excited to take charge of one of the biggest teams in Africa: “South Africa has a rich football history and is among the powerhouse on the continent. The country has full of quality and I am coming to coach a truly football nation with massive potential.” One of the top objectives for the new manager would be t...
House asks federal government to suspend upcoming census exercise
Following the ravaging insecurity in the country, the House of Representatives yesterday called on the federal government to suspend the upcoming census exercise until security improved. The House also said it will be counter-productive and a waste of scarce financial resources to conduct such exercise amidst the economic recession. The call was made on the heel of a motion under matters of urgent public importance titled “Call on the federal government of Nigeria to Suspend the Proposed 2021 Population and Housing Census to be conducted by the National Population Commission” sponsored by Shelia Barwa Bell. Moving the motion, Bell said that the state of insecurity would not guarantee accuracy if the census was conducted now, arguing that many Nigerians have fled their homes and villages. H...
Ex-President Obasanjo: If Nigeria breaks up, minority groups will be exterminated
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday described calls for the disintegration of Nigeria as unmindful and insensitive to the plight of the minority groups in the country. Obasanjo made the observation when he received the Tiv Professional Group (TPG) from Benue State, who paid him a courtesy visit in Abeokuta. The former president recalled a discussion between him and “a military friend” who, according to him, has described major tribes in the country as selfish and not sufficiently caring for the minority groups. Obasanjo, who aligned with his friend’s opinion, expressed worry over what would become of the minority groups if the major tribes decided to secede and begin to operate as separate countries. “If the Yoruba can stand as a country, if the Igbos and the Hausa/Fulani can s...