News Agency of Nigeria
Edo guber: INEC closes dedicated portal for parties nominations
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday says it has closed its dedicated portal designed for political parties to submit the details of their nominations for Edo governorship election. Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC) disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja. Okoye said that the commission did not extend the June 29 deadline fixed for the exercise, which ended at 6 p.m. on Monday. He said that the commission in line with fixed deadline and schedule of activities for the state election shut down the dedicated portal at 6 p.m. Okoye, who did not disclose the number of political parties that met the deadline, promising that the details would later be made public. “The portal for submiss...
ICPC: How Kwara top shots hijacked public solar street lights for their residences
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission has ordered the relocation of solar street lights from private residents in Ilorin, Kwara State. Newsmen reports that ICPC uncovered the sighting of solar street lights in private residents of some highly placed individuals in Ilorin. Newsmen report that ICPC is tracking over 250 projects worth N4.1 billion in its second phase of constituency and executive projects executed between 2015 and 2019 across the state. Aminu Bala, the Team Leader of the constituency projects tracking operatives of ICPC, told newsmen on Monday that the anomalies were discovered in the highbrow Agric Settlement along Old Jebba Road and Oloje Federal Housing Estate, Ilorin. The solar street lights, according to the ICPC tracking operatives, are...
Ekiti to inaugurate human rights action plan committee July 1
The Ekiti government will, on July 1, inaugurated a committee saddled with the responsibility of developing a human rights action plan. Newsmen report that the inauguration of the committee is sequel to the directive by Gov. Kayode Fayemi to the state Ministry of Justice to that effect. The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Olawale Fapounda, in a statement issued on Monday in Ado-Ekiti, said that the governor had stressed the need to put measures in place to protect and promote human rights in the state. He announced the composition of the advisory and technical committees for the development of the State Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Right (SAPHR). According to him, the action plan is aimed at auditing the human rights situation in the state. Fapo...
Nigerian government to engage 1,000 unskilled workers per local council between October, December
The Federal Government says it will recruit 1,000 itinerant, unskilled workers in each of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGA), in the country from October to December for roads rehabilitation, construction, sanitation, among others. Mr Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, said this during the inauguration of the States’ Selection Committees for the Extended Special Public Works Programme on Monday in Abuja. Keyamo said that the programme was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari and aimed principally at recruiting 774,000 itinerant and unskilled Nigerians. According to him, the 1,000 persons that the committee will recruit per LGA will be engaged by the Federal Government between October and December this year. “This is for the workers to carry out public works tha...
Former APC spokesperson empowers Kwara youths with entrepreneurship skills
Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, former National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC) has facilitated a training for youths in Kwara on various entrepreneurial skills. Declaring the training open in Ilorin on Saturday, Issa-Onilu appealed to the beneficiaries to concentrate with a view to become their own bosses and train others in their respective fields. Represented by Mr Tajudeen Onilu, the sponsors said that aside the 26 youths currently undergoing training, additional 60 beneficiaries will commence their own training by next week. According to him, at the end of the induction training, beneficiaries will have their business plan written, they will be interviewed and awarded certificates, after which they will be awarded fundings to improve their businesses. He said that the f...
Meter manufacturer urges Nigerian government to grant sector ‘special’ forex regime
Sabrud Consortium, an indigenous electricity prepaid metre manufacturing firm, has urged the Federal Government to grant special forex regime to the sector. It also applauded the upward review of metre prices by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which took effect on June 1. The firm said also that the increase in prices of prepaid electricity meters will boost local production. Chiso Nwangwu, Managing Director of Sabrud Consortium, who spoke to newsmen in Awka on Thursday, said the increase in prices was long overdue as the former rates had become grossly inadequate in view of the prevailing economic realities. Newsmen recall that NERC earlier this month, announced that customers would now pay N44,896.17 instead of N36,991.50 for single phase meters while three phase meter ...
Aviation unions warn NAMA over proposed salary cut
NIGERIAN AIRSPACE MANAGEMENT AGENCY Aviation industry unions on Wednesday warned the Management of Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) not to embark on its planned payment of incomplete salaries to staff, predicting dire consequences for the action. Newsmen report that the unions are National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN). Others are the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE). The unions gave the warning in a letter jointly signed by Deputy General Secretary, ATSSSAN, Frances Akinjole; General Secretary, NUATE, Ocheme Aba; General Secretary, ANAP, Abdulrasaq Saidu; and...
ICPC tracks 67 constituency projects in Nasarawa
File Photo The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Wednesday said it has started tracking 67 selected constituency projects in Nasarawa State. Mr Clement Obaniyi, the commission’s Commissioner in Benue, also overseeing Nasarawa and Plateau, told newsmen in Makurdi on Wednesday, noting that the projects were 2016 constituency projects of National Assembly members in Nasarawa State. Obaniyi said that the selected projects ranged from construction of boreholes, HIV campaign projects, provision of buses/cars, erosion control and flood, electrification, dams and road construction. He added that the projects were selected for tracking by a team from Budget Office of the Federation, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, ICPC, National Instit...
Oyo HoS urges workers to comply with coronavirus guidelines
The Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs Ololade Agboola, has called on civil and public servants in the state to comply strictly with the COVID-19 guidelines, as they resumed work on Monday. Agboola, in a statement issued on Monday in Ibadan by her Media Officer, Mr Abiodun Atilola, listed wearing of facemasks, regular washing of hands/use of sanitisers and observance of social distancing as some of the precautionary measures. She further stated that the workers were restricted from moving from one office to another, except for very important official purposes. Newsmen report that workers from grade level 12 downward resumed duties on Monday to join their counterparts on grade level 13 and above who had resumed work after the March 27 closure of the secretariat due to coronavirus. Agboola furth...
Group faults community’s plan to disown former Ebonyi commissioner
Edda Professionals’ League (EPL), a body of eminent experts and professionals of Edda extraction, has vowed to resist any plan aimed at humiliating Chief Abia Onyike, former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in Ebonyi. EPL announced its plan to scuttle such humiliation in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Mr Ikenna Emewu, on Monday in Abakaliki. The group described the former commissioner as one the community’ most illustrious sons, that had contributed immensely to the development of Edda land, describing those behind the plot as “busy bodies.” The statement noted that some government functionaries, leaders of interest groups and traditional rulers from Edda in Afikpo South Local Government Area of the state, were forced to sign a document, where they were plo...
NSE upgrades data portal to improve market access
The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Monday announced the upgrade of its Data Portal (X-DataPortal) to revamp and improve market accessibility for subscribers. Mr Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer of the exchange, said in a statement in Lagos that the portal upgrade was to explore digital technologies to provide top notch accessibility. Onyema said: “The upgrade of the X-DataPortal is in line with the desire of the NSE to continue providing an exchange that is easily accessible, leveraging digital technology. “The newly enhanced X-DataPortal has, therefore, been equipped with market-focussed features that will complement the NSE website and other NSE portals in response to stakeholders’ increased demands for easy access to data. “Given the importance of Market Data in investment decisi...
Flood: NESREA tasks Gombe residents on waste management
Agence France-Presse The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has urged Gombe State residents to imbibe the culture of proper waste management to prevent environmental degradation like flooding. The NESREA Coordinator in the state, Mr Adamu Saurayi, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Gombe on Monday. He said that the call became necessary because many residents were in the habit of dumping solid waste in the drains, especially during the rainy season. According to him, the spread of COVID-19 in the state is an additional reason residents need to properly dispose waste like used face masks to avoid putting others at risk. Saurayi cautioned residents against using the rains as way of sweeping away wastes through drains, adding that such coul...
