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2023: PDP panel throws presidential tickets open
File Photo Amidst thinking from many stakeholders that North-East and South-East geo-political zones that have had the shortest stints at the Presidency, should be given special consideration, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) panel has thrown open the 2023 presidential ticket. The governor of Bauchi state and Chairman, PDP 2019 election review committee, Bala Mohammed, gave this recommendation on Wednesday while submitting the report of the committee to the party leadership. The Governor said: “In line with certain unwritten conventions of the nation’s history, many people think that, for fairness and equity, the North East and South East geo-political zones that have had the shortest stints at the Presidency, should be given special consideration, in choosing the presidential flagbearer...
Nigeria’s inflation rate hits 17.33 percent
The consumer price index, which measures the rate of increase in the price of goods and services, increased to 17.33 percent in February. This is the highest point since April 2017. According to the CPI/Inflation report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday, the food inflation stood at 21.79 percent, the highest point since the 2009 data series began. According to the NBS, food inflation also grew by 21.79 percent year-on-year compared to 20.57 percent recorded in January. The headline inflation for month-on-month also increased to 1.89 percent from 1.83 percentage points. It explained that the upward movement in food inflation was caused by increases in the prices of bread, cereals, fish, potatoes, yam and other tubers, vegetables, meat, oils and fats, fruits and ...
Reps deputy speaker: Nigerians living abroad can’t submit petitions
The deputy speaker of the house of representatives, Idris Wase, has questioned the eligibility of Nigerians living abroad to submit petitions. Wase, who presided over plenary on Thursday, rejected a petition from “Mutual Union of the Tiv in America,” saying Nigerians in the diaspora do not “really know” the situation in Nigeria and thus are not eligible to file petitions. The petition, presented by Mark Terseer Gbillah, lawmaker representing Benue Gwer east/Gwer west federal constituency, accused the federal government of not resettling the Tiv people displaced from their ancestral land through various attacks. Thousands of Nigerians were reportedly displaced in the north-central region as a result of the farmer-herders crises. “I have a petition from the mutual union of the Tiv in America...
Nigerian government’s special cash grant for rural women launched in Yobe
Federal government has on Friday Flag-off Special Cash Grant for Rural Women in Damaturu, Yobe State capital. Launching the programme, the Minister of Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq said that “we gather to provide support to citizens of our beloved country. I am delighted to have you all converge on this venue for purpose of flagging off the Federal Government’s cash grant for rural women, which is a significant social protection programme of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, aimed at uplifting the most vulnerable groups out of poverty”. According to her, since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration in 2015, Government has paid more attention to protecting and promoting the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the country. This s...
UNESCO scores President Buhari high in women inclusion in governance
Mr Steven Onyekwelu, Spotlight Project Manager, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), on Monday, said President Muhammadu Buhari demonstrated great inclusion of women in governance. Onyekwelu said this at the occasion of the International Women’s Day (IWD) in Abuja, with the theme of this year’s celebration “Choose to Challenge.” The project manager said UNESCO was satisfied with President Buhari’s commitment to women empowerment and equality. “We are satisfied, as a matter of fact, His Excellency the President is doing a lot to ensure that inclusion in every area, in terms of governance, education, in terms of health, women are included,” he said. The UN official, who congratulated women on the IWD, noted that UNESCO had through the spotlight project, ...
Governor Ikpeazu: Oil companies have no presence in Abia
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, has expressed concern that despite the long years of oil exploration in the state, there was nothing tangible people of oil-producing communities in the state have to show for it. Ikpeazu, while receiving the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum Industry Bill led by Senator Albert Bassey at Government House, Umuahia, said that Abia oil-producing communities have remained peaceful more than other oil-producing communities in the country, stressing that the peaceful disposition of the communities should serve as a model for the compensation of oil-producing communities. The governor lamented that the oil exploration and production companies who do business in Abia do not pay taxes to the state, but rather reside in neighbouri...
Bundesliga: RB Leipzig knock Bayern Munich from top after romp at Freiburg
RB Leipzig climbed top of the Bundesliga on Saturday with a 3-0 romp at Freiburg to replace previous leaders Bayern Munich, who later host Dortmund in Germany’s ‘Klassiker’. Christopher Nkunku, Alexander Sorloth and Emil Forsberg scored the goals in Freiburg which lifted Leipzig one point ahead of Bayern, who are at home to Dortmund (1730GMT). “That was a mature performance,” Leipzig sports director Markus Kroesche told Sky. “Anything is possible,” he replied when asked if Leipzig can stop Bayern winning a ninth straight league title this season. Leipzig impressed in their final tune-up before facing Liverpool in Budapest next Wednesday in the last 16 of the Champions League having lost the first leg 2-0. Leipzig took the lead at Freiburg after a first-half blunder by home goalkeeper Flori...
Victor Osimhen returns to training ahead of Bologna clash
Victor Osimhen has returned to full training ahead of Napoli’s Serie A game against Bologna at Stadio San Paolo on Sunday. The 22-year-old suffered head trauma after landing awkwardly on the turf following a collision with Cristian Romero in his side’s defeat to Atalanta on February 21. The forward spent the night in the hospital and underwent several tests but has been cleared of any damage to his head. The Nigeria international missed Napoli’s clash against Granada in the Europa League as well as their league games against Benevento and Sassuolo. The Parthenopeans have now confirmed the Super Eagles forward has rejoined the rest of his teammate in preparation for their league game against Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men “Osimhen did the whole session with the team,” read a statement from the clu...
AFCON: NFF confirms date of final qualifying matches for Super Eagles
On Wednesday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) took to the official Twitter account of the Super Eagles to officially confirm the dates and kickoff times for the final stage of the senior men’s national football team’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. For Matchday five, the Super Eagles will meet the Squirrels of Benin Republic on Saturday, March 27, in Porto-Novo, the capital of Republic of Benin, for a 1600 hours (GMT) kickoff. The next fixture against the Crocodiles of Lesotho, which will be the last of the series, will take place on Tuesday, March 30, in Lagos at 1600 hours (GMT) as well. At this point of the qualifiers, Nigeria has eight points from their first four Group L games and a draw from either of these matches will earn the Super Eagles the point they need ...
Will Smith opens up about running for president
Will Smith has opened up about possibly running for president at some point in his career, and we wouldn’t put it past him. The 52-year-old has taken on some of the biggest roles in Hollywood, but he may be turning his attention to politics next. Appearing on the Pod Save America podcast, hosted by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor, the Bad Boys actor teased that the Smith family could be headed for the White House. When asked what he thinks about entering politics and running for office himself, he laughed: ‘I think for now, I’ll let that office get cleaned up a little bit and then I’ll consider that at some point down the line. ‘I don’t know, it’s like, I absolutely have an opinion, I’m optimistic, I’m hopeful, I believe in understanding between people. I believe in ...
Ex-pope Benedict chides ‘fanatical’ Catholics who reject his resignation
Former pope Benedict has chided conservative Roman Catholics who have not accepted his decision to resign as “fanatical”, telling them that there is only one pope and it is Francis. Benedict, now 93, in 2013 became the first pope in more than 600 years to resign instead of ruling for life, saying he no longer had the strength to govern the 1.3 billion-member Church. Some hardline conservatives unhappy with the more liberal Pope Francis have often voiced doubts about whether Benedict stepped down willingly, even though he has said several times in the past eight years that he did. “It was a difficult decision. But it was a fully conscious choice and I think I did well (to resign),” he told Italy’s Corriere della Sera in a interview published on Monday. “Some of my more fanatical friends are...
Charles Udeogaranya: Ndigbo Republic may emerge if South-East fails to produce president in 2023
A Presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2019, Chief Charles Udeogaranya, has said that the way things are going in Nigeria, Ndigbo Republic may emerge instead of Biafra. According to him, “if after 50 years of Nigeria/Biafra civil war and political power brokers do not find it expediently urgent to close this monumental gap of inequality by giving a sense of belonging to the South-East region of Nigeria, then Ndigbo Republic (NR) is inevitable and I will lead the struggle of its actualisation.” Udeogaranya said that Ndigbo remains more Nigerian than any other Nigerian ethnic group and will always play their big brother role of pan-Africanism. Ndigbo, he said wants the best for the Yoruba nation, Hausa nation, Fulani nation, Ijaw nation and every other nationality ...
