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Coronavirus: FCT threatens to shut markets, malls
The FCT Administration has told shop owners to choose between complying with COVID-19 guidelines or having their business premises shut as part of measures to contain the pandemic. Head, Media and Public Enlightenment of the FCT Ministerial Enforcement Task team on COVID-19 Regulations, Ikharo Attah, issued the warning while monitoring the level of compliance in some shopping malls and business premises across the city. He said the administration will “not hesitate to shut down shopping malls, Maitama farmers’ market and business premises in the city that fail to comply with the COVID-19 protocols and guidelines. “From what we observed, there is high compliance by costumers and visitors to these malls and business premises, sadly, same cannot be said of the workers and operators of shops a...
Kaduna begins community policing with 272 constabulary
Community policing has gotten a boost in Kaduna on Tuesday as 272 Police Constabulary pass out from training school. The State governor, Nasir El-Rufai while addressing the newly recruited constabulary described community policing as a good initiative. He also said the system of policing has come to stay in the State. The Governor, represented by the Commissioner for Internal security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, charged the community police personnel to enhance internal security in the State. He said the 272 constabularies were selected from the 16 local government Areas of the state as first phase. He said the second phase of the training will cover the remaining 23 LGA’s of the state to enhance security in the state. He said they are trained to be the eyes in security issues in the ...
House of Reps member petitions army over ‘unlawful dismissal’ of soldiers from Ebonyi
The member representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chinedu Ogah, has petitioned the Nigerian Army over the ‘unjust’ dismissal of soldiers from Ebonyi state . Ogah said that the soldiers were sacked unjustly from the military and that a petition has been submitted against their dismissal , expressing confidence that they would be reinstated very soon. The federal Lawmaker disclosed this while addressing thousands of members of his constituency who paid him Christmas visit at his Amagu country home, Ikwo in Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi state Ogah however, used the occasion to intimate them on his activities for the one year he has been in office as their representative in the National Assembly, saying that he had submitted petition agai...
Nigeria Defence Academy commandant’s house gutted by fire
The official residence of the Commandant of the Nigeria Defence Academy, NDA, Major General Sarham Jamil, was on Sunday night gutted by fire. Eye witness say it is not certain which part of the official residence, situated near Sultan Bello Mosque in Unguwar Sarki GRA, the fire started from but flames were sighted around 8pm. He said fierce looking soldiers prevented civilians around Unguwar Sarki from gaining entrance to render assistance. Newsmen reports that for decades, the house has been the official residence of the commandants of the military institution. It shares a fence with the prestigious Arewa House and the Guest House of Emir of Katsina in Kaduna and the residence of former Minister of state, Defense, Alhaji Batagarawa. Another witness said the men of the Nigeria Fire Service...
Kebbi governor empowers 205 women vegetable sellers with N6.15 million
The Kebbi Governor, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, on Sunday, donated N6.15 million to 205 women vegetables sellers in the state as part of efforts to encourage them to be self-reliant. Newsmen report that each of the 205 women received N30,000 from the donation, in order to boost their vegetable businesses. Gov. Bagudu, who announced the donation at the graduation of the benefitting women in Birnin Kebbi, said that all the women who benefitted from the program had received training in preservation of perishable items. “The comprehensive training of the women traders was conducted by the state chapter of the Kebbi State Vegetables Sellers Association,” he said, lauding the association for the unparalleled gesture that was worthy of emulation by other groups. “The association needs to be commended fo...
Senator Sani visits survivors of 2012 Kaduna church bombing
CNN Ex-Senator from Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, on Saturday visited survivors of a 2012 Boko Haram bomb blast at St Monica Catholic Church, in Malali, Kaduna. In 2012, about eight worshippers had died at the explosion, with several others sustaining injuries. Those who survived the attack lamented that they have since been abandoned to cater for themselves. The survivors used the former lawmaker’s visit to call on the government and citizens for aid to be able to get back their life. A survivor, Polycarp Lawrence, who lost an eye in the attack, said that he has been paying for his medical bills with the little support from the church, which has not been enough. ‘Since the bomb blast of 2012, I have not found my rhythm back in life. Life has been so difficult for me and my family. There has...
Japan to halt all new entries from abroad next week
Japan will halt all new non-resident foreign arrivals coming from overseas from Monday until late January, Tokyo said Saturday, as the country reported its first cases of a new strain of the coronavirus. Japan currently restricts entry for foreigners from most countries over fears of the virus, requiring all visitors to undergo mandatory quarantine upon arrival. Tokyo now plans to strengthen those requirements: Japanese travellers and foreign residents from countries where the new coronavirus strain has been reported must take tests within 72 hours ahead of their departure for the country and again upon arrival at Japanese airports. It will also strengthen quarantine requirements on all travellers returning to Japan. Citing the Japanese government, the Jiji Press and Kyodo agencies said th...
Nigerian government posts 35 firefighters to man new Treasury House substation
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, on Wednesday commissioned a fire substation built for the Treasury House which houses the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. Speaking at the event, the Minister extolled the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Idris Ahmed, for building the facility which will help battle fire incidents in the building and its environs. She was also pleased that 35 firemen have been posted to man the facility by the Comptroller-General of the Fire Service. According to her, “the Treasury House is the key driver of the ongoing Public Financial Management Reforms in line with the desire of the Federal Government to bring the nation up to speed with other leading world economies. “In carrying out this enormous task, ...
Governor Wike charges judiciary to demand independence
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has charged the judiciary to crave for independence to discharge their functions without intimidation and not just to control budgets. Wike said this was imperative because no government and country could make meaningful progress, if the judiciary is not allowed to carry out their functions independently. He stated this at the official presentation of 29 brand new Renault Koleos 2020 SUVS to chairmen of the Customary Courts of the Rivers State judiciary at the judiciary complex in Port Harcourt yesterday. The maintained that no one can talk about democracy without the rule of law, stressing that judiciary is pivotal in any given society where the rule of law reigns. “If Nigeria wants to move forward, if this country wants development, then, we must allow...
Tijani Babangida denies questioning Super Eagles defenders’ role
Former Super Eagles winger Tijani Babangida has denied quotes attributed to him questioning the invitations of William Troost-Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo to the team. Babangida insists the duo are quality players, who deserve to be part of the team. “Well, it’s very unfortunate with what I saw this morning that a journalist wrote that I said Ekong, Omeruo and even Jamilu Collins should not be in the National team. I do not think we can boast of better players than these,” Babangida said. “So if a journalist wants to have a catchy headline to sell his papers, then he writes what I did not say because that isn’t what I said so he obviously wrote against what I said. I am very disappointed and that’s not my meaning to this. “The said journalist has however to come out to apologize for what he wr...
NHIS recovers N2 billion debts from HMO’s
File Photo The National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, on Tuesday says it has recovered the sum of N2 billion debts from Health Maintenance Organizations, HMOs, and unpaid bills to Health care facilities. NHIS General Manager, Enforcement Department, Pharmacist Mohammad Ghali, disclosed this during a stakeholders sensitization workshop held in Kano to strengthen effective operations of the scheme. Ghali said it received complaints from the health care providers over HMO’s non-payment of services rendered to enrollees and to that effect, the scheme came up with a principle of reconciliation between the HMO’s and healthcare facilities leading to the recovery of the monies, N2 billion, which was later paid to the healthcare facilities. According to him, “over some period, what the NHIS witnes...
Nigerian National Assembly spends billions of naira on constitution review
The perennial constitution amendment exercise by the National Assembly is characterised by proposals that keep resurfacing despite gulping billions of naira yearly, an analysis has shown. The federal parliament had from the 5th to the current 9th National Assembly made several attempts to amend some provisions of the 1999 Constitution to no avail. At every session, the parliament officially spends N1 billion shared equally between the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are reports that the lawmakers spend more than what is appropriated for the exercise. While some amendments were successful, several others suffered serial failures but kept appearing in new proposals. Considering the huge spending, lawyers and civil society groups have pointed out that no significant amendments ...