Nigeria
Eid-El-Fitr: Senator Omo-Agege harps on personal sacrifices, self denial
As Muslims in Nigeria join the rest of the world to mark this year’s Eid-el-Fitr, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has called on Nigerians to draw enduring lessons from the holy month of Ramadan, which includes personal sacrifices and self-denial. Senator Omo-Agege in his Eid-el-Fitr message has however called for prayers for the country to overcome its challenges, even as he charged citizens on peaceful coexistence. In a statement signed yesterday by his Special Adviser Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, the Deputy President of the Senate noted that the auspicious occasion of Eid el-Fitr does not only mark the end of fasting, kindness and good deeds during the holy month of Ramadan, but its global focus on worthy virtues can help lift the world towards being a much b...
Imo governor abolishes pensions, gratuities for former governors, speakers, deputies
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has assented to a bill repealing the law that created pension allowances and gratuities for former governors, deputy governors, assembly speakers and deputy speakers. Signing the bill into law in Owerri on Friday, the governor noted that the erstwhile law runs contrary to the 1999 Constitution as amended, which stipulates that a pensioner must have worked for at least 10 years and must be up to 45 years of age. He regretted a situation where some of the beneficiaries of such payments also get a huge amount of money as salaries and allowances in other positions they occupied, such as serving as senators or members of the House of Representatives. He said: “Apart from the inconsistency of such a law to the provisions of the ground norm, which is the Consti...
NAF deploys special forces, additional platforms to boost ongoing operations in Katsina
Authorities of the Nigerian Airforce on Friday said that following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive on the launch of a major crackdown against bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements in Katsina and other States in the North West of the Country, the NAF on 22 May 2020, injected Special Forces (SF) operatives and deployed additional platforms to Kastina State. NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said, “The arrangement is to consolidate on the already existing security architecture in the State to ensure the success of the ongoing renewed offensive against the armed bandits under the auspices of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ)-led Operation Hadarin Daji. Speaking during the deployment, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sa...
NSCIA: No moon sighted, fast continues
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has directed Muslims to continue fasting through Saturday, as the moon has not been sighted in Nigeria by the National Moon sighting Committee. This development thus extends the fasting period beyond 30 days. “There was no positive sighting report of the Shawwal crescent in Nigeria, tomorrow is 30th Ramadan. An official statement from the Sultanate will be released shortly,” the committee said in a tweet Friday. Muslims were already prepared to celebrate Eid-el-Fitri on Saturday. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn...
Goodluck Jonathan: Coronavirus could give rise to dictators
YouTube Former President Goodluck Jonathan, Friday advised Africans to be careful the way they handle coronavirus pandemic, noting that the virus could give rise to dictators. Disclosing this while speaking during a webinar organised by the Kofi Annan Foundation, Jonathan said: “This is the time that many continental bodies must come up with their own minimum standards for any country going into election to operate. “Otherwise people who ordinarily would have loved to be dictators will now exploit the problem of the COVID-19 pandemic and do what is not in line with the laws of the land.” Speaking further, Jonathan mentioned one positive thing’ in Nigeria’s COVID-19 response. According to him, “In Nigeria, I have seen one thing about the management of the COVID-19 which is also positive,” h...
Eid-el-Fitri: Oyo governor felicitates Muslims, calls for prayers for state, Nigeria
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has congratulated Muslims in the state and beyond on the successful completion of the month-long Ramadan fasting. The governor expressed gratitude to Muslims and residents of the state for remaining steadfast despite the situation imposed on the state by the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor equally rallied them to use the auspicious occasion of the Eid-el-Fitri to make supplications for themselves, the state and Nigeria. A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa, quoted Governor Makinde as saying that it was regrettable that Muslims in the state and across the country cannot observe Eid-el-Fitri prayer this year the usual way, adding that the situation should be seen as “part of the sacrifice we all have to make at thi...
AGF: I do not have personal ‘debt collectors’
The Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, says the recovery agents engaged by his office are institutional recovery agents for the federal government. Dr Umar Gwandu, Special Assistant to the Minister on Media and Public Relations made the clarification in a statement on Friday in Abuja. “Malami in his personal capacity does not have any personal debt collectors for the recovery of federal government debts. “For the avoidance of doubt, the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice does not engage recovery agents based on personal gratification or individual’s inclinations’’. He said that none of those engaged by the Federal Government in the recovery of assets and generation of revenues belonging to the government work for “Malami”, as mischievously portrayed in some medi...
Eid-el-Fitri: CAN felicitates with Muslims, seeks prayers for peace, unity
File Photo The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Friday congratulated the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar 111 and all Muslims for the completion of Ramadan. CAN General Secretary, Joseph Daramola, in a statement in Lagos, also congratulated the Sultan who is Head of Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI) and President-General, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). “As we appreciate your coming to the end of this year’s Ramadan prayers, we implore you all not to cease from continuously praying for the peace, unity and stability of our country. “We wish to encourage Muslims in Nigeria and the world to continue to pray for a speedy end of COVID-19 in the entire world to which the CAN is also fully committed. “We commend Nigerians for their cooperation with the government so...
Minister lauds Kaduna, Imo, Katsina, Plateau governors for complying with right of way resolution
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), has commended Governors El-Rufai, Uzodimma, Masari and Lalong for implementing Right of Way Resolution. The Minister in a statement signed by his Technical Assistant (Information Technology), Dr Femi Adeluyi, on Friday expressed delight with the strides that have been made by the Governors which he said aligned with the resolution of the State Governors under the auspices of the Governors’ Forum. Recall that the Governors’ Forum had on the 22nd of January 2020 agreed to address the lingering issue of Right of Way (RoW) charges in a bid to deepen broadband penetration in the country and promote a Digital Economy for a Digital Nigeria. At that meeting, the Executive Governors had resolved to adopt the 2013 reso...
UNFPA: Nigeria records 12,000 new cases of fistula yearly
The United Nations (UN) Population Fund (UNFPA), says Nigeria records 12,000 new cases of Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF), yearly. Newsmen reports that VVF is an abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder (vesica) and the vagina, that leads to continuous involuntary discharge of urine into the vaginal vault. Mrs Ulla Muller, Country Representative of UNFPA, told newsmen in an interview in Abuja, that with the figure, Nigeria was one of the countries with the highest number of VVF cases globally. “Nigeria has about 148,000 cases of fistula, with about 12,000 new cases every year,” Muller said. According to the UN representative, UNFPA has large imprint in Nigeria through preventive and curative interventions such as family planning, community engagement and training of healthcare wo...
Nigerian government to dispatch experts to re-engage Kogi on coronavirus
The Federal Government on Thursday announced that a ministerial team of experts would soon be dispatched to Kogi on a mission to engage authorities of the state, to determine material and technical needs of the state on COVID-19. The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, made the announcement in Abuja at a news conference by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19. Newsmen report that the Kogi Government had alleged refusal of NCDC officials to observe protocols in line with the containment of the coronavirus when they visited the state. The allegation stirred up drama between the two parties as the NCDC officials left Kogi without adhering to terms and conditions, rolled out by Gov. Yahaya Bello. Following the development, Ehanire said the committee would need to re-engage the governor an...
INEC approves new policy framework for Edo, Ondo states
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday approved a new policy framework known as Policy on Conducting Elections in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic. The commission, in a statement issued by Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, in Abuja said the policy document would be released on May 25. Okoye said that the provisions would be applied to the conduct of governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States scheduled for Sept. 19 and Oct. 10, respectively, as well as other by-elections to be conducted soon in seven states. “The general purpose of the Policy is to enable officials and staff of the Commission to understand and respond adequately to the challenges of conducting elections in the context of the COVI...
