Stakeholders
Enugu Disco expresses concern over vandalism of installations
File Photo The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has raised concern over the rising cases of vandalism of electricity installations within its network in the South-East. The Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Enugu. He decried the “wicked manner’’ power facilities belonging to EEDC were being vandalised across its network. Ezeh appealed to customers to be more vigilant in ensuring that the installations serving them were not vandalised. “This negative trend is not only affecting the organisation’s finances, but adversely impacting the quality of services to customers,” he said. Ezeh said that the company records cases of vandalism of its electrical installations almost on a daily basis. He said these range from armour...
Resident doctors threaten fresh strike August 17
The National Association of Resident Doctors has given the Federal Government three weeks to address its demands or its members would resume their suspended strike on Monday, August 17, 2020. While demanding the payment of COVID-19 hazard allowance to members which, it said, was long overdue, NARD called on government and the National Assembly to probe the non-enrolment of healthcare workers for the Group Life Insurance and non-payment of death-in-service benefit to the next-of-kin of its fallen heroes, despite claims of payment to insurance companies. The President of NARD, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, made this known in Abuja on Saturday while reading to journalists a communique issued after its virtual National Executive Council meeting and scientific conference held at the Gombe International Hot...
Nigerian government partially shuts Third Mainland Bridge after stakeholders meeting
Getty Images The Federal Government, on Saturday, partially closed the Third Mainland Bridge, Nigeria’s busiest bridge, for rehabilitation works after site inspections for traffic architecture assessments. The work began at midnight on July 24 as workmen use crash barriers to barricade the outbound mainland traffic on Adeniji Adele junction. They went on to line more barriers and signage on various other sections blocking off a section of the Oworonshoki bound carriageway. Supervising the closure, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr. Olukayode Popoola, said that the traffic management and diversion architecture had been perfected at an earlier stakeholder meeting on Friday. Popoola explained that vehicles outbound the Lagos Island, at peak periods in the morning, would use alterna...
Stakeholders advocate efficient fiscal policy for oil, gas sector
Stakeholders in the oil and gas sector have called for proactive fiscal policy in the petroleum industry to fast track investment and infrastructure development in the country. The stakeholders disclosed this at the Virtual workshop on Leveraging Fiscal Regulations to Attract Investments in the Petroleum sector, on Thursday. Mr Osten Olorunsola, Chairman, Energy Institute Nigeria, said that the oil and gas sector in Nigeria needed a lot of investment to meet with the current global challenges. He stated that globally, the industry had witnessed decline in product demand and low price regime, adding that only low cost molecules would be able to make it in the market. Olorunsola said that the sector in Nigeria needed to transform to meet with current trend as the sector was not buoyant as pe...
Speaker Gbajabiamila: House of Reps to provide funds for fight against gender-based violence
Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila says the house will provide funds for the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the 2021 budget to be presented to the National Assembly in September. Gbajabiamila said this in response to a request by Ulla Mueller, the Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja. Mueller led a delegation of United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) Spotlight Initiative on a courtesy call to the speaker, a statement issued by Mr Lanre Lasisi, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity said. Gbajabiamila said that apart from budget funds, the house would also provide all necessary support and partner with relevant stakeholders for the fight against GBV to succeed. According to the speaker...
Communal clash between Lungudas in Adamawa, Wajas in Gombe claims score of lives
Scores of people have been reportedly killed, while many were injured in the renewed communal clash between the Lungada ethnic group in Adamawa state and their Wajas counterpart in Gombe state. Locals in the troubled area confirmed that no fewer than ten people were killed in the latest uprising on both sides of the conflict, including a councillor with Guyuk local government council, whose identity is not known as at press time, Adamawa State Police command which has confirmed the reoccurring skirmishes, however, did not confirm the casualty figure. Pique by the reoccurring crisis and the attendant loss of lives and property, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa state has imposed a 24-hour curfew in Guyuk local government and parts of Lamurde local government predominantly occupied by the W...
NEMA warns of flood in 102 council areas
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has warned of imminent flood in 102 Local Government Areas across 28 states during this year’s rainy season. AVM Muhammadu A Muhammed, Director-General of the agency, said that the yearly Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP), and Annual Flood Outlook (AFO), that were released by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), predicted this in June. He listed Kaura, Zaria, Kaduna North and Chikun local governments of Kaduna state as being within probable risk areas as some of the 102 local governments area with highly probable risk. He advised governments to organise State Humanitarian Coordination Forum meetings in order to prepare stakeholders for mitigation and response to floods when they occur. Mohammed called on State Emergency Managem...
PTF: Schools to reopen only for graduating pupils
The Federal Government on Thursday insisted that schools have not reopened in the country. The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, stated this in Abuja during a briefing. He maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari only approved the resumption of schools for graduating pupils to take revision classes and write their examinations. Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, explained, “The Presidential Task Force similarly announced some limited measures for the educational sector. Specifically, we pointed out that it was still not safe to reopen schools. “However, in order not to truncate the progression of pupils and students not in critical classes, the President approved that arrangement be made for those who need revision b...
ICPC: How Kwara top shots hijacked public solar street lights for their residences
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission has ordered the relocation of solar street lights from private residents in Ilorin, Kwara State. Newsmen reports that ICPC uncovered the sighting of solar street lights in private residents of some highly placed individuals in Ilorin. Newsmen report that ICPC is tracking over 250 projects worth N4.1 billion in its second phase of constituency and executive projects executed between 2015 and 2019 across the state. Aminu Bala, the Team Leader of the constituency projects tracking operatives of ICPC, told newsmen on Monday that the anomalies were discovered in the highbrow Agric Settlement along Old Jebba Road and Oloje Federal Housing Estate, Ilorin. The solar street lights, according to the ICPC tracking operatives, are...
Aviation stakeholders decry use of foreign airlines to evacuate Nigerians
Stakeholders in the aviation industry on Monday kicked against the continuous use of foreign airlines by the Federal Government for the evacuation of Nigerians in spite of domestic capacity to carry out the exercise. They expressed their displeasure in a chat with the Aviation Correspondents in Lagos, saying the situation was creating wrong impression about Nigeria and safety of its carriers. Speaking, Capt. Nogie Meggison, Executive Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), said the continuous use of foreign airlines to evacuate Nigerians by the government was contrary to its own directive that only indigenous carriers should be used. Meggison said that the onus still lies on the government to do the right thing by protecting its own carriers, as COVID-19 fears had forced government t...
Minister receives committee report on 2020 national sports festival
Honourable Minister for Youths and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, has disclosed that the organisers will meet with the government and stakeholders to discuss the way forward for the 2020 National Sports Festival. The Minister made this known shortly after he received reports from the 11 man committee of the 2020 national sports Festival in his office on Thursday. The Minister assured that he will get the Government and other stakeholders to round table in order to discuss on when the games will commence. “We’ll not shy away from making decisions based on the reality on the ground. This is a milestone to determine when to start sporting activities, but we would not jeopardise the health and wellbeing of our sportsmen and women.” “We shall study your report, sit down with relevant agencies of gove...
Nigeria declares telecoms facilities critical national Infrastructure
In response to the yearnings of industry stakeholders to declare telecom facilities Critical National Infrastructure, President Muhammadu Buhari, has finally approved and also directed that necessary physical protective measures be put in place to safeguard telecommunications infrastructure deployed across the country. This followed a proposal by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ibrahim Pantami, to the President to identify telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, with a view to protecting them from vandalization and theft, amongst other things. Recall that telecom operators and industry players had over the years been consistent in their demand for the Federal government to declare all telecoms facilities across the country critical nat...
