Nigerian Government

COVID-19: Hard choices made by Nigeria responsible for successful impact – President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the hard choices made by his administration to tackle the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world have yielded successful impacts. The president, who addressed Nigerians in a nationwide broadcast on Saturday to mark the 2021 Democracy Day, was referring to some measures, including travel restrictions across the states of the federation and beyond, compulsory use of nose masks, hand washing protocols and other relevant protocols instituted to limit spread of the virus. Mr Buhari said; “Our response to the pandemic involved making hard choices in balancing livelihoods and public health concerns. “You are all living witnesses to how successful this has been due to a number of proactive measures put in place. Our response to COVID-19 is globally acclaimed. “...

Nigerian Lawmakers to Investigate Government’s Twitter Ban

/* custom css */ .tdi_4_050.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_050.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Nigeria’s House of Representatives passed a new resolution to investigate the legality of the indefinite suspension of Twitter operations in the country. The investigation was announced on Tuesday. This represents the first major move by the legislative body on the suspension of the social media service. The government’s decision to suspend Twitter has been met with significant criticism from Nigerians. The country’s National Assembly has also been criticised for their perceived silence and inaction on the matter, reports Tech Cabal. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says that the members of the lower chamber have been “inundated with comments about the ...

Twitter pushes back on ban by Nigerian government

Micro blogging social platform, Twitter, has pushed back on ban by the Federal Government. It described it as brazen affront on citizens fundamental human rights and advised its users and other social media platforms in the country to download virtual private networks (VPNs) to enable them continue to use the platforms for their economic survival and social and political engagements while the “push back on this draconian order by the Nigerian government.” In a statement, Twitter said: “Today, the 4th of June 2021, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced its suspension of Twitter operations, that the application can be used as a platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence. “Many Nigerians read the announcement of the ban on Twitter as a reflection of the...

Nigeria records 63 new coronavirus cases

Nigeria on Friday recorded 63 new coronavirus infections in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The new figure raised the total number of infections in the country to 166,254, an update published by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Friday night indicates. According to the update, no new death was recorded from the virus, which has already claimed 2,071 lives in the country. The data shows that the new COVID-19 cases were reported in seven states and Abuja. Lagos recorded 25 cases, closely followed by Ondo with 22. Rivers State reported six while Akwa Ibom and Kaduna reported three each. Also, Kwara State reported two while Ebonyi and FCT reported one each. A breakdown of the data shows that 11 people were discharged on Friday after testing negative for the vi...

NGO: Oil spills killed 16,000 Niger-Delta babies in a year

The Stakeholders Alliance for Corporate Responsibility (SACA) has faulted the Nigerian government and multinational oil companies operating in the Niger-Delta over health hazards associated with exploitation and exploration activities. Newsmen learnt that SACA was formed and registered in Nigeria by an Irish Priest, Reverend Fr. Kevin O’ Hara, as a Non-Governmental Organisation in 2012 to find solutions to environmental problems inherent in the exploitation and exploration of oil by multinationals operating in the Niger-Delta region. Speaking to journalists at the inauguration of the group’s “Project Management Committee (PMC),” the Executive Director, SACA, Kingsley Ozegbe, hinted that statics available to his organisation through researches carried out revealed that in 2012 alone, about ...

NNPC renews OML 118 with Shell, Total, Exxon, Eni

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp renewed Oil Mining Lease 118 with the local subsidiaries of Shell, Total, Exxon and Eni for another 20 years, the West African country’s state oil firm said in a statement on Tuesday. The deal signals the end of “long-standing disputes over the interpretation of the fiscal terms of the production-sharing contracts” between the investors in the field, the statement said. The Nigerian government will immediately recognise revenues of $780 million from the signing of the agreement, “while it would also free the parties from over $9 billion in contingent liabilities,” the statement said. The deal was signed between NNPC, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeri...

GSAC: 500 Nigerian nationals languishing in Togolese prisons

The Global Society for Anti-Corruption (GSAC) yesterday alerted that no fewer than 500 Nigerian citizens were languishing in various prisons in Togo. Consequently, it has called on the federal government to intervene on behalf her citizens and ensure that they get justice. GSAC’s President, Mr Frankline Ezeona who briefed newsmen in Enugu on a recent fact-finding visit his organisation made to Togolese prisons, disclosed that a good number of the Nigerians in the said Togo prisons had spent more than 10 years awaiting trial. Ezeona who decried the inhuman treatment being meted to the Nigerians by officials of the Togolese prisons, stressed that their situation had been compounded by the fact that they no longer have access to certain relief materials due to the ravaging COVID-19. Federal g...

James Ibori loot: Delta asks federal government to return recovered fund to state

Delta State Government on Tuesday reacted to receipt by the Nigerian government of the £4.2 million first tranche of the Ibori loot from the goverment of the United Kingdom. The state government restated its earlier stand that since the returned money was illegally taken out of Delta’s Treasury, it should appropriately be returned to Delta State. This is coming on the dissolution, on Tuesday, of the Delta State Executive Council (EXCO) with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa asking the Secretary to State Government (SSG), all civil commissioners and the governor’s aides to surrender all vital government documents and property to their respective permanent secretaries in the ministries, departments and agencies. The outgoing state commissioner for information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, reiterated the positio...

President Buhari: We’ll defeat forces of evil, overcome current security challenges

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria will overcome all the current security problems and defeat the forces of evil marauding about in different parts of the country. The President’s assurance was contained in a statement issued Friday by the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd), at the end of the National Security Council meeting at the State House, Abuja. “At today’s meeting the President made it abundantly clear that while the insurgents, bandits and criminals are still at it, he has no doubt that the Nigerian Security agencies and all of us as a nation will certainly overcome all the current security problems and defeat the forces of evil marauding about in different parts of the country,” the NSA said in the statement. The N...

NSA: Why President Buhari adjourned security meeting

The National Security Adviser, NSA, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd), said the Security meeting on Friday was adjourned to Tuesday next week in order to receive further briefings from the Security Chiefs. The NSA in a statement he personally signed after the meeting said that the nation’s security apparatus was determined to decisively end the assault on the nation by criminal elements. The statement read: “Concerned about the persisting security challenges in parts of the country, Mr. President summoned a crucial meeting of the National Security Council today as he continues to frontally confront the situation inthe country. ”At today’s (Friday) meeting, the President made it abundantly clear that while the insurgents, bandits and criminals are still at it, he has no doubt that the N...

President Buhari seeks NMA support in providing responsive health care system

President Muhammed Buhari has solicited the support of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in reforming the Health care sector in order to deliver a health system that is responsive to the needs of Nigerians. Buhari disclosed this on Thursday during the 61st Annual General Conference Annual Delegates meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), held in Jos, Plateau State. The President who was represented by Minister of Health, Professor , Osagie Ehanire, said inspite the Country’s fragile health system, Doctors have continued to respond to diseases. He said the Country’s health system has a long way to go in meeting the demand of Nigerians. President Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Innocent Ujah appealed to Federal Government to provide modern medical equipments and consuma...