Secretary
China joins calls for IWF to publish list of election candidates
Nations from around the world have written to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to express their dismay at the governing body’s failure to publish the list of candidates for forthcoming elections. There have been complaints of poor governance, a lack of transparency, and giving an unfair advantage to certain candidates on the current IWF Executive Board who have the information that is denied to others. For the last elections in 2017 the list was published five days after the nominations deadline. This year, eight days have passed already and there is no sign of the IWF naming the candidates for President, first vice-president, vice-president, and a place on the Executive Board. The IWF is entitled, under current regulations, to wait until 30 days before the elections – Febr...
PTF: Nigeria has over 100 molecular laboratories
Nigeria can now boast of over 100 molecular laboratories for the testing of COVID-19 in the country, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), Boss Mustapha, has said. This is just as the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, flayed the non challant attitude of people in his home state, Kwara, to the pandemic. The SGF who spoke Tuesday at the commissioning of State House Clinic Special Care Centre (COVID-19 Isolation Centre) stated that the number of molecular laboratories grew from two last year to more than 100 as at today and are spread across the 36 states of the federation. His words: ‘‘From just two molecular laboratories for the testing of COVID-19 in Nigeria, we now have over 100 molecular laboratories, public and private, across the 36 States of the Feder...
Nigerian government meets labour over fuel price, electric tariff hike
The Federal Government on Monday resumed its meeting with the organised Labour over the issues of increases in the pump price of petrol and electricity tariff hike. The meeting had been adjourned in December last year, with hopes that it will be reconvened earlier in 2021. Dr Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), are the two ministers representing the federal government at this meeting. At the opening of the meeting, Dr Ngige said the government’s side of the bargain has received reports from the committee set up to look into some of the demands of the labour movements. Similarly, Boss Mustapha also noted that the committees set up last year will be presenting their findings during the meeting. The SGF also assured t...
Group hails Enugu governor on rural roads
A social group, Ishi-Obere Brothers Club, IBC, in Amufie autonomous community, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu state has applauded Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s effort at ensuring rural access roads in every community in the state. This commendation was made in a statement signed and issued to pressmen in Enugu by the chairman of the group, Pharm. Ernest Odo and financial secretary, Mr Chinedu Adonu respectively. Odo while expressing satisfaction with the construction of Amufie-Ugbaike-Inyi rural road which links the aforementioned communities to Abuja through Obollo Afor-Makurdi expressway said it was a shortcut for those travelling to Abuja. He expressed the view that the road would boost economy of the state, adding that rural roads development is a sure way of attaining rap...
NUT: Edo government’s ‘no-work-no-pay’ policy empty threat
Nigeria Union of Teachers Teachers under the Edo State branch of the Nigeria Union of Teachers on Friday said they would not call off their ongoing strike following a ‘no work, no pay’ policy announced by the state government ahead of the resumption of schools on February 1. The teachers said they would not succumb to what they described an “empty threat,” as they vowed to continue with the strike until their demands were met. The NUT had directed treachers in the state to begin an indefinite strike on January 18, following the expiration of a 21-day and 14-day ultimatums earlier issued to the state government. But the Edo State Government had, in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie, on Friday approved February 1, 2020, for the resumption of full academic a...
President Buhari appoints Adolphus Aghughu as the Auditor-General of the Federation
President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated Adolphus Aghughu for appointment as the Auditor-General of the Federation pursuant to Section 86(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). In a statement by by the Senior Special Assistant to the President of National Assembly Affairs (Senate), Senator Babajide Omoworare, said Aghughu has been acting as the Auditor-General since the voluntary retirement of Mr. Anthony Ayine from service upon attainment of the mandatory retirement age of 60 years on 25th October 2020. The Auditor-General designate hails from Edo State and, holds a master’s degree in economics; he is a Fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management and Associate member of Chartered Institute of...
APC welcomes appointment of new service chiefs
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed confidence that the new service chiefs will consolidate on the remarkable achievements of their predecessors in keeping the country safe and peaceful. President Muhammadu Buhari had Tuesday sacked the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar. He replaced them with Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao, Chief of Air Staff. The National Secretary of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, in a sta...
Court orders final forfeiture of ex-Zamfara governor’s money in Zenith, Polaris banks
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered the final forfeiture of former Governor of Zamfara, Abdulaziz Yari’s funds domiciled in Zenith and Polaris Banks. While 56, 056.75 dollars was lodged in Polaris Bank account, the sums of N12.9 million, N11.2 million, 301, 319.99 dollars; N217, 388.04 and 311, 872.15 dollars were kept in different Zenith Bank accounts in the name of Yari and his companies. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, in a judgment, held that the former governor had not shown good cause why the order sought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) should not be granted. Yari served as governor of Zamfara between May 2011 and May 2019. The ICPC had instituted a suit, praying the court for the former governor to show cause why the money unde...
PTF: Nigeria records four cases of UK coronavirus variant strain
Mr Boss Mustapha, Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said Nigeria recorded four cases of COVID-19, B117 variant strain, first reported in the UK. The PTF chairman made the disclosure at national briefing on Monday in Abuja. Mustapha said; “over the last few weeks, the PTF had been closely following the rising number of infections reported daily in Nigeria and in other jurisdictions. “Similarly, our scientists have been sequencing the variants of the virus. “There have been reports of cases with the B117 variant strain first reported in the UK, found in Nigeria. Three of these were in travelers out of Nigeria and one in a resident,”. He also stated that the daily statistics for Nigeria as at January 24, 2020 showed that cas...
U.S. Senate confirms Joe Biden nominee Lloyd Austin as defense secretary
The U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed President Joe Biden’s nominee, retired Army General Lloyd Austin, to serve as Secretary of Defense – the first Black American in the role. The vote was an overwhelming 90-2 in the 100-member chamber, far more than the simple majority needed. Lawmakers from both parties said they were pleased that Austin would be installed to lead the Pentagon just two days after Biden was sworn in as president on Wednesday. Senator Jack Reed, the incoming Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, noted the wide range of challenges facing the country – including the coronavirus pandemic and competition with China and Russia. “General Austin is an exceptionally qualified leader with a long and distinguished career in the U.S. military,” Reed said before t...
Nigeria to conduct 450 coronavirus tests per local council
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 says the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will carry out 450 COVID-19 tests in each local government area of the country. The PTF chairman, Mr Boss Mustapha, also Secretary to the Government of the Federation, made this known at the national briefing on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja. Mustapha said the exercise would start with the states that were in the forefront of resourcing and infrastructure. According to him, the PTF has authorised the NCDC to immediately implement the 450 tests per local government plan nationwide. Mustapha said: “We are aware that states are not on the same pedestal in the area of testing, and we shall begin with the states that are in the forefront of resourcing and infrastructure.” On resumption of schools, Mus...
China to sanction U.S. officials for ‘nasty’ behaviour over Taiwan
China’s foreign ministry said on Monday it had decided to impose sanctions on U.S. officials who have engaged in “nasty” behaviour over Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comment in response to a question about U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s decision this month to lift restrictions on contacts between U.S. officials and their Taiwanese counterparts. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
