Nigerians
Anglican Primate wants programmes to cushion hike in petrol, electricity tariff
The Primate, Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to urgently come up with programmes to cushion the effects of the hike in petrol prices and electricity tariff on citizens. Ndukuba, who made the call at the 13th General Synod of the Church in Abuja, stressed that the hike would worsen the economic hardship on Nigerians and increase the poverty level in the country. While lamenting the negative effects of COVID-19 on the citizenry, Ndukuba expressed regret that most of the small and medium scale enterprises had collapsed and many more Nigerians had lost their jobs. On national security, the Anglican Primate stressed the need for government to accord priority to community policing and support regional security organisations to strengthen ...
FinCen files: Corruption is another name for Atiku Abubakar, PDP – BMO
Findings by a team of international journalists on a United States of America’s agency files is an indication that corruption allegation won’t stop haunting former Vice-president Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, it is alarming that a man who aspired to lead Nigeria is always mentioned in suspicious financial activities. “It is instructive that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s name featured in a new investigation by an international consortium of journalists and media groups on suspicious transactions within the international financial system. “This is not the first time the former PDP Presidential candidate would be linked to allegations of financ...
British lawmakers write Commonwealth over killings in Nigeria
Thirteen members of the House of Lords, United Kingdom, have expressed concern over the killings by Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East and Fulani herdsmen in the Middle Belt region. The upper house of parliament members said the failure of the Federal Government to protect Nigerians was a breach of the Commonwealth Charter. They requested the Commonwealth to raise the killings with its Ministerial Action Group. This was contained in a letter to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, dated September 14, co-signed by Baroness Cox, Baroness Kennedy, Jim Shannon, Fiona Bruce, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Williams and 14 others. They cited a report by the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, which accused unnamed ...
President Buhari describes demise of two Borno emirs as ‘rare double tragedy’, painful loss
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of two Borno Emirs as a “rare double tragedy” and a painful loss to the people of Nigeria. Buhari in a condolence letter he sent to Gov. Babagana Zulum and the people of Borno, commended the roles played by the late Shehu of Bama, Umar El-Kanemi, and the Emir of Biu, Mustapha Aliyu, in maintaining peace and stability in their respective emirates, especially in the wake of violence caused by the Boko Haram insurgents. Presenting the letters on behalf of Buhari, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who led the federal government delegation, commended Gov. Zulum for his foresight, commitment, devotion and courage for his peace building efforts to restore normalcy in his state. “We would like to pray to God to change the situation fro...
Labour plan nationwide protest, strike for Monday
File Photo The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have vowed to embark on a nationwide protest on Monday, September 28 to protest recent hikes in fuel prices and power tariff. The TUC, in a statement by its President, Comrade Quadri Olaleye and Secretary-General, Comrade Musa-Lawal Ozigi, appealed to Nigerians to get ready for the “unprecedented mass action against corruption, obnoxious policies, rape and other violent offences, breach of Collective Agreement, unemployment, etc.” The National Executive Council of the NLC endorsed the decision of the Central Working Committee to proceed on strike on Monday. It noted the decision by government to increase petrol and electricity tariff must be challenged by workers, civil society groups and other labour centres. The ...
PTF warns against neglect of virus protocols
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has warned against perceived neglect of the non-pharmaceutical protocols and other measures aimed at tackling the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country. The PTF chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, gave the warning at the daily briefing by the PTF on Monday in Abuja. He said that there was increasing disregard for basic non-pharmaceutical measures that have proven to be very successful. He said face masks have now been turned into chin masks, social distancing and gatherings are returning to the pre-COVID era. Mustapha, however, called for vigilance in order to forestall any danger of second wave of the pandemic as the countries in Europe were currently facing. According to him, th...
PPPRA: Previous administrations spent N8.9 trillion on subsidy in 10 years
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, yesterday, disclosed that N8.9 trillion was spent on fuel subsidy by the Federal Government, mainly by previous administrations, between 2006 and 2015. According to data released to support the need for deregulation of the downstream petroleum industry, the PPPRA stated that the bulk of the sum was expended between 2011 and 2015, where N6.7 trillion, representing 74.8 per cent of the total were spent on subsidy. Giving a breakdown of the figure, the PPPRA disclosed that N257.36 billion, N271.51 billion, N630.57 billion, N409.31 billion, and N667.08 billion were spent on fuel subsidy in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, while in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, fuel subsidy gulped N2.1 trillion, N1.35 trillion, N1.32 trillion, N1.22 t...
Survival Fund: Nigerian government releases registration schedule as portal opens Monday
As the portal for the registration of prospective beneficiaries for the Survival Fund opens on Monday, the Federal Government has released the timetable for categories of businesses to register. A statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Project Delivery Office stated that the portal which opens at 10 PM, will have educational institutions as the first category of beneficiaries to register. “Nigerians interested in the Payroll Support scheme are to note that the site for registration will be open from 10 pm Monday, September 21, 2020. “In order to ensure a seamless registration process, the Project Delivery Office (PDO) has designed a registration schedule. “Registration for Payroll Support will start with educational institutions on Monday and will be followed with businesses in the hos...
Victor Ezeji warns against rating Victor Osimhen higher than Simy Nwankwo
Former Nigeria international Victor Ezeji believes it will be wrong to focus just on Napoli forward Victor Osimhen for the new Serie A season without paying attention to his countryman Simy Nwankwo at Crotone. Osimhen has been making headlines beyond the Campania capital following his big-money move from Lille. So much attention has been placed on the 21-year-old such that he has been tipped in some quarters to walk in the shoes of club greats like Diego Maradona, Edinson Cavani and Gonzalo Higuain. Ezeji says that the quality of the Napoli squad and Osimhen’s eagerness to impress makes him the obvious pick between the two Nigerians. “Osimhen is younger than Simy. Then you also have to consider the quality of players in Napoli and the quality of players in Crotone,” the Caf Champions Leagu...
Edo election: PDP Reps condemn ‘siege’ on opposition governors
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives has condemned alleged siege on opposition governors by security agents in Benin City, the Edo State capital, ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial election in the state. The caucus in a statement by its leader, Kingsley Chinda, on Friday night, stated that it is unacceptable that security agencies, whose duty is to ensure safety of lives and property are the ones allegedly causing chaos. Chinda said it is shocking that while All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and a presiding officer of the National Assembly are sheltered in the home of a leader of the party in the state, PDP governors are being harassed. “The caucus find the current siege on Governors by men of the Nigeria Police force and other security officials...
Edo election: YIAGA Africa deploys PVT to check credibility of election results
Barely 24 hours to the Governorship election in Edo State, Yiaga Africa, through the Watching The Vote citizens movement, has deployed its Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology for the election. According to Yiaga Africa, the PVT is an advanced election observation methodology that employs well-established statistical principles and sophisticated information technologies in providing timely and accurate information on the conduct of accreditation, voting, and counting, and it independently verifies the official governorship results as announced by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC. In a statement jointly signed by the Chair of Yiaga Africa election observation mission for Edo State, Dr Aisha Abdullahi, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Guinea and former African Union Com...
Governor Wike asks President Buhari to make Edo election a model
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to make Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State a model. Wike, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council for the poll, spoke during a live television programme in Port Harcourt. A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, quoted the governor as saying that the outcome of the election would provide hope for 2023 general election. He said: “Everyone that loves this country should ensure that tomorrow’s election is credible, free and fair. “The police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should show Nigerians that they can support credible elections. “INEC should ensure that result sheets are not in the hands of i...
