Operations
Yahaya Bello: Nigeria deserves the best captain no matter where he comes from
The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has said that rather engage on the unconstitutional issue of rotational presidency, what Nigerians should focus on is look for that Nigerian, no matter where he comes, who can be the captain to pilot the country to the promised land. The governor who stated this at the First Annual Governor Yahaya Bello (GYB) Seminar for Nigeria’s Political and Crime Correspondents/Editors at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, said that even after 16 years of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and another six years of All Progressives Congress (APC), in the country, the problems of the nation has not been solved by the rotational presidency that has taken place over the years. Bello insisted that the political party must not limit the choice of Nigerians to any region...
Haiti police say they have president’s suspected killers, still hunting masterminds
Haiti’s police has killed or apprehended the suspected killers of President Jovenel Moise, officials said on Thursday, and are hunting for the masterminds behind the assassination that stunned the impoverished Caribbean nation. Moise, 53, was shot dead early on Wednesday at his home by what officials said was a commando of apparently foreign, trained killers, pitching the poorest country in the Americas deeper into turmoil amidst political divisions, hunger, and widespread gang violence. Police Chief Leon Charles said in a televised briefing on Thursday that authorities had tracked down the suspected assassins to a house near the scene of the crime in Petionville, a northern suburb of the capital Port-au-Prince. A fierce firefight lasted late into the night and six suspects were taken in c...
Troops kill 11 Boko Haram terrorists in Borno
The Nigerian Army has said its troops have killed 11 terrorists in separate operations in Borno State over the last three days. It said troops attached to the 82 Division Task Force Battalion, while on patrol in the Ngoshe-Ashigashiya area, neutralised five suspected Boko Haram members during a gun duel. The Director of Army Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu, said this in a statement titled, ‘Operation Hadin Kai: Troops on trail of terrorists recover arms and ammunition, truck of petroleum oil and lubricant’, dated July 4, in Abuja, on Monday. The statement read in part, “Troops of 82 Division Task Force Battalion on patrol along Ngoshe-Ashigashiya, about 12km from the unit’s location, have made contact with elements of Boko Haram terrorists at Daushe. “The troops, who fiercely engaged an...
Imo council chairs petition President Buhari over ‘lopsided appointments’ in NDDC
The Oil Producing Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Imo State under the auspices of Urashi Peoples’ Congress (UPC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse what it described as persistent lopsided appointment in the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). In an open letter addressed to the president, which was signed by the Coordinator, Mr. Reginald Uwakwe, a copy of which was made available to newsmen yesterday, the group lamented that the appointments into key positions i.e. the managing director of the NDDC, have been allegedly skewed in favour of only four states of Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa and Delta, out of the nine member states that made up the commission. It said between 2001 and 2021, the list of managing directors and their states included Dr. God...
FRSC seeks partnership with EEDC to enhance operations in Enugu
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it will partner the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to enhance its operational capabilities within Enugu State. The FRSC Sector Commander in Enugu State, Mr Joseph Udoabba, said this when he paid a courtesy visit to the management of EEDC at its corporate headquarters in Enugu on Thursday. Udoabba said that the visit was essentially to “further fortify and cement the already existing cordial relationship’’ between the Command and EEDC. “I hope we will continue on that cordial note,’’ he said. He also commended the efforts of EEDC in ensuring effective electricity distribution in the state as well as entire South-East states. “FRSC is soliciting for support in the area of power supply to its Command headquarters, unit and licensing off...
Ethiopia urges Tigray rebels to join ceasefire, hostilities persist
Ethiopia’s government urged Tigrayan rebels to join a unilateral ceasefire in their conflict on Thursday as aid agencies struggled to reach hundreds of thousands of people facing famine. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the former rulers of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, said on Monday it was back in control of the regional capital Mekelle after nearly eight months of fighting. The government declared a unilateral ceasefire but the TPLF dismissed it as a joke. Hostilities persisted on Thursday and pressure built internationally for all sides to pull back. “Operations are under way … and the number of prisoners of war is increasing by the minute,” TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda told Reuters by satellite phone, with light artillery fire crackling in the background. “We are closing in on...
AfreximBank to support Ogun infrastructural development with $200 million
The African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim) has disclosed its plans to support infrastructural development in Ogun State with an envelope of $200m. The fund, according to the bank, will be dedicated towards projects and other developmental initiatives embarked upon by the incumbent administration in the state. The President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Afrexim Bank, Benedict Oramah, who made this known when he led management of the bank on a courtesy visit to Governor Dapo Abiodun at his Oke-Mosan Office, Abeokuta, on Monday, equally said the bank would partner Ogun on ensuring that the 250-bed Specialist Hospital, Abeokuta, is completed and begin operations soon. Oramah, while noting that the bank has been investing heavily in the health sector in Africa to develop vaccines ...
Nigerian army chief charges troops to be decisive against terrorists
The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Faruk Yahaya, has charged troops of Operation Hadin Kai to be decisive and alert in the fight against the Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram terrorists in North East Nigeria. The COAS, according to a statement by the Director Army Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu, on Sunday stated this while addressing troops of Sector 3 Operation Hadin Kai/Multinational Joint Task Force, Monguno. He was said to have embarked on his maiden operational tour of the sector on Saturday. The statement was titled ‘Be decisive and alert in countering insurgency – COAS tells Sector 3 OPHK/MNJTF troops.’ It read, “General Faruk Yahaya lauded the level of discipline and commitment to duty exhibited by troops of the Sector. He, however, admonished them to be apo...
Two injured in church bomb blast in eastern DR Congo
A makeshift bomb exploded inside a Catholic church in the city of Beni in the DR Congo’s conflict-plagued east on Sunday, injuring two just an hour before a children’s Confirmation ceremony was due to be held. The head of police in Beni’s town hall Narcisse Muteba Kashale told AFP that the explosion occurred at 06:00 and that experts from the UN’s mission to DR Congo had told “us it is a home-made bomb, a bomb that was set up for an ambush”. Beni’s vicar general Laurent Sondirya said two people were injured in the blast, which went off before crowds would have gathered to attend the Confirmation ceremony. “They were targeting a large crowd because the ceremony would bring together children, their parents and the faithful,” he told AFP, adding that “mass would not be postponed”. Traces of b...
Total targets more renewable electricity, LNG production by 2030
Total Companies in Nigeria has unveiled its corporate vision in line with the change of the Total Group to TotalEnergies. The organisation aims to produce more renewable electricity and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) by 2030. The oil major also outlined its broad energy lineup that includes oil, gas, electricity, hydrogen, biomass, wind and solar. TotalEnergies is committing $60 billion to investment in renewable energy in the next 10 years, with 10 per cent of that investment expected to come to Nigeria. Speaking at a virtual parley with journalists, the Executive General Manager, Total Country Services, Mrs. Bunmi Popoola-Mordi, highlighted steps that would help in adapting the new name, logo and visual identity of the company. THISDAY had reported that the shareholders of Total Group, had ...
APC group commends President Buhari, security agents for ‘decimating’ IPOB
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Legacy Awareness and Campaign has commended President Muhammadu Buhari and federal security agents for decimating separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The group, in a statement issued by the quartet of Barr Ismail Ahmed, Lanre Issa-Onilu, Tolu Ogunlesi and Salihu Moh Lukman, claimed that the country will in the next few months witness even more progress on all fronts. ‘On security, the fear that has gripped the nation in recent times is receding while confidence is being renewed as the security agencies are chasing down the criminals, taking the battle to the bandits, unknown gunmen, kidnappers, and other criminal elements who have been holding the country by the jugular and turning Nigeria to a killing field,’ the group stated. ‘From the...
MTN to invest N640 billion to expand broadband access
MTN Nigeria plans to invest N640 billion (approximately US$1.5 billion) over the next three years to expand broadband access across the continent’s most populous country, in line with the federal government’s 2020-2025 National Broadband Plan and in support of MTN Group’s strategy, Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress. ‘Nigeria is one of our most important markets. We have a proud history of partnering with Nigeria and Nigerians to drive faster and more inclusive growth through digital transformation,’ said MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita after a three-day visit to Abuja and Lagos, in which he met a number of key stakeholders. These included President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo; Minister of Communications...
