Process
NLC to declare nationwide strike over Kaduna government’s plan to sack workers
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has resolved to declare an industrial action nationwide if the Kaduna State government goes ahead with its plans to sack civil servants. The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with newsmen on Monday. Last week, Governor Nasir El-Rufai announced the plan to disengage civil servants in the state, citing fiscal reasons. El-Rufai said a significant amount of the statutory federal allocations to the state is being spent on the wages of public servants. According to the governor, the decision was one of the necessary moves to salvage the state’s finances. “Therefore, the state government has no choice but to shed some weight and reduce the size of the public service. It is a painful but necessary step to take, for the sake of th...
Two suspects lynched after trader robbed, shot dead in Akwa Ibom
Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers in the early hours of Monday invaded Mbiabong Itam community in Itu Local government Area, Akwa Ibom State, and killed a young shop owner identified as Ecole. According to sources in the community, Ecole’s grocery shop at Mbiabong was invaded by the gunmen and in the process the young man was shot in the head. “He was rushed to an undisclosed hospital where he later gave up the ghost,” the source said. Newsmen report that in the ensuing confusion of that night, the youth of the community, with the help of the vigilante team, arrested two members of the robbery gang, killed them and set them ablaze inside a minibus used by the robbers. However, one of the gang members, identified as Itoowo from Usuk Ediene Community in Ikono LGA, was arrested alive and k...
DPR: We’ve accurate record of crude production
File Photo The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Friday debunked claims that the exact volume of crude oil produced in the country was not known. Mr Paul Osu, Head, Public Affairs, DPR, in a statement issued in Lagos, said every litre of crude produced in the country was adequately captured during the process of extraction. Osu said it was the responsibility of the DPR to monitor and account for crude oil production as basis for determining government’s revenue through royalty payments by operators for sustainable development. He said: “As a further step to boosting crude accounting process from production to export, DPR recently launched the National Production Monitoring System (NPMS). “NPMS is an online platform for direct and independent acquisition of production data from oil...
RCCG apologises to minister over Osun road project
File Photo Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), on Thursday, dismissed alleged payment of N151million to a firm for a road rehabilitated by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Osun State. Fashola in his submission before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, probing the allegation, said the claim by the church was untrue. He said the 15-kilometer road was awarded to Messrs Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited at the cost of N662.7million by the Federal Government in 2011. He said the Ministry paid N99million as 15% mobilisation fee and N52million to the contractor after the firm achieved 26.2 per cent of work done on the road in March and December 2011, respectively. He insisted that the award of the contract and the subsequent p...
Minister: Nigerian government worried about rising unemployment rate
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said the federal government is worried over the rising unemployment rate in the country. Speaking at the 2nd Shakeholders’ Meeting on Expatriate Quota Administration organized by the Citizenship and Business Department of the Ministry of Interior, the Minister said: “Anyone that is not worried about the unemployment rate in the country is not a patriot.” He lamented that the unemployment rate of 33 per cent released by the National Bureau of Statistics was indeed worrisome and a wake up call that something urgently needed to be done to keep Nigerians employed and drastically reduce the unemployment rate. The Minister, who called on all stakeholders at the meeting to ensure quality inputs were brought to the table that will lead to the produ...
CAC aims to register new company within three hours
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) says it will be possible for companies in Nigeria to be registered within three hours, before the end of 2021. The commission tweeted this on Sunday via its verified Twitter handle. It said, Garba Abubakar, the commission’s registrar-general, gave this indication at a recent dinner in honour of the chairman, governing board, CAC and Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Spain, Ademola Seriki. The commission announced last December the upgrade of its online registration portal for business. It said the upgrade would include features that allow the automation of key services and processes in line with the federal government’s effort to Nigeria’s ease of doing business. Newsmen had reported how the new regulation protocol has left businesses in the country s...
Police nab five for stealing N55 million cocoa export consignment
The Nigeria Police Force, NPF, has arrested five persons, Lawal Abiola; Afeez Rasaq; Akeem Gbolahan; Idowu Jelili and Safiriyu Oyebanji over alleged involvement in the stealing of a 40-foot container of Cocoa worth N55 million meant for export to the United States of America, USA. The five suspects were alleged to have connived to steal the consignment that was contracted to one Kolawale Idowu of No. 3 Olawumi Academic Zone, Ibadan, on December 17, 2020. The Police report noted that the police involvement was as a result of a complaint on December 31, 2020, at about 1800hrs by Princewill Etonu, of No 5, Araba, behind Modern Linda House, Agbara, Ogun State and Adueyusi Gabriel of AMA Ventures, adding that since the incident the suspect refused to pick his call hence the case was reported. O...
House to hold valedictory session for deceased member Ossy Prestige
Abia Facts The House of Representatives, will on April 15, hold a valedictory session for the late member representing Aba North /Aba South federal constituency of Abia State, Hon. Ossy Prestige. Younger brother to the late lawmaker, Rotarian Chuks Nnanna, who disclosed this while briefing journalists in Aba, explained the event, would mark the beginning of activities for the burial of the late lawmaker. Prestige, who was serving his second term at the House on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, died on February 6 in Germany, after a brief illness. He further disclosed that there would be a walk as well as an interdenominational service in honour of the late lawmaker who would be buried on April 24 at Abiriba, in Ohafia council area. Meanwhile, a group, Old Bende Pro...
Analysts: Printing currency could hurt economy
Analysts have expressed concerns over a recent claim that the federal government resorted to printing money to augment the monthly allocation to the three tiers of government, warning that it could heighten inflationary pressure with dire consequences for the country’s exchange rate and economy. The analysts, in separate interviews with newsmen, warned that a sustained policy of printing the currency, if not well managed, would hurt the economy. The concern came on the heels of recent revelation by Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, that due to the dwindling revenue in the face of declining oil revenue arising from the growing sources of alternative sustainable energy, the federal government had to print money to augment the amount available for sharing by the federal, state and lo...
Konshisha crisis: Benue governor apologizes to families of slain soldiers
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has apologized to the bereaved families of the 12 soldiers who were ambushed and killed about a week ago by armed bandits at Bonta community in Konshisha Local Government Area, LGA, of the state. The Governor also condoled President Muhammadu Buhari, the Chief of Army Staff and the leadership of the armed forces in the country over the murder of the military personnel in the state. Speaking Monday at the funeral of the personnel at the Wurukum Military Cemetery in Makurdi the Governor who condemned the murder and described it as unfortunate promised to collaborate with the military to apprehend the masterminds of the dastardly act. “I condole Mr President who is the Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces, the Chief of Army Staff and indeed the leadershi...
House speaker: Local council autonomy not for National Assembly to address
Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that the issue of local government autonomy is not for the National Assembly to address. Gbajabiamila said this during a two-day leadership capacity training, organised by the Minority Leader of the House, Mr Ndudi Elumelu, for ward councillors from Delta, on Monday in Abuja. He said that since the process of constitutional amendment was ongoing and the areas of possible amendments thrown open, it was for Nigerians to decide whether to have local government autonomy or not. “We did it the last time but when we went back to the states, we could not get the required two-thirds. So it is a process and we have followed the process. “While we were working on constitutional amendment, two-thirds of the states did not agree with us....
Governor Wike: Nobody can undermine Rivers in quest for Nigeria’s presidency
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that anybody jostling to be president of Nigeria would also need to secure votes in Rivers to combine with either Kano or Lagos to emerge victorious. Wike said such pivotal position establishes the importance of Rivers State in the political scheme of the country, stating that nobody would be allowed to undermine it. He made the assertion at the grand finale of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Local Government Election Campaign that held at Ulakwo in Etche Local Government Area, yesterday. The governor said: “I keep telling the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that no state has given more votes to the party than Rivers. “And it is only in Rivers, in the whole of South-South, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) didn’t get 25 per cent votes...