Thursday
Gunmen kill six, injure many in Plateau village
Fresh attack on Thursday night claimed six lives as gunmen opened fire on some villagers at Wereng village, Riyom local government area of Plateau State, killing six and injuring three villagers. The attack occurred at the time villagers returned from their day’s businesses and were preparing to retire for the night when sporadic gunshots jolted them Before the incident, there were rumours being circulated that the villagers may be attacked any moment but it was unclear if security agencies acted on the information. Wereng has consistently been under attack in over a decade now and all appeals for the dastardly act to end have been rebuffed by the attackers. Although Operation Safe Haven on peace mission in the State did not confirm the incident at the time of this report because the spoke...
Coronavirus: Nigeria has vaccinated over 1 million people – NPHCDA
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced that Nigeria had so far vaccinated over a million eligible people out of its target of 70 percent of the nation’s population. The NPHCDA disclosed this on its official Twitter handle, on Thursday. Newsmen report that for the country to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, it had set an ambitious goal of vaccinating 40 per cent of its over 200 million population before the end of 2021, and 70 per cent by the end of 2022. The country kicked off vaccination on March 5, 2021, commencing with healthcare workers who are mostly at risk to the infections, being the first responders. It noted that the vaccine roll-out would be in four phases, starting with health workers, frontline workers, COVID-19 rapid response team, l...
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...
Governor Bello: Many PDP governors will join APC soon
Kogi State Governor and Chairman of Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Yahaya Bello, has said more governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political bigwigs would soon join the party. This is coming amidst speculation that Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle, was perfecting plans to dump PDP for the APC. Speaking with newsmen after a closed-door meeting of his committee at the APC headquarters on Thursday in Abuja, Governor Bello said governors in the opposition party know that things were happening in the APC. “I have a committee that is called Mobilisation of Youths, Women and People Living with Disabilities, mobilising them to join our party. “As much as we are mobilising youths, women and peopl...
EFCC hands over recovered N67.5 million to victim in Enugu
YouTube The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has restituted the sum of N67,523,000 to one Mr. Emmanuel Onyekachukwu Onah, a trader based in Onitsha, Anambra State. EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said Onah’s ordeal started sometime in 2019 when he transferred the sum of N75,760,540.00 to the duo of Tega Esinone and Obiajulu Umeagukwu for onward transmission to his business partner, Crecedor Industrial Co. Ltd in Hong Kong. The suspects converted the money to their own use. After efforts to recover his money from the suspects failed, Onah petitioned the EFCC. The commission in the course of investigating the scam, initiated a non-conviction based forfeiture process which culminated in a December 1, 2020 ruling by Justice I.N Buba of the Federal High Court, Enugu, orderin...
Damasak attack: EU calls for safe passage of people caught in web of violence
The European Union (EU) has called on all parties in the ongoing North-east crisis to allow people caught in violence to move freely to safe places and facilitate unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need. A statement issued on Thursday by the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Mr. Janez Lenarčič, on the latest terror attacks on Damasak, Borno State, said: “The EU is following with deep concern the recurrent violent attacks by non-state armed groups against the people of the town of Damasak, Northeast Nigeria.” The statement lamented that the life and security of civilians is in danger and that humanitarian premises have been destroyed with humanitarian workers deliberately targeted. It said because of the recent increase of violence in North-east Nigeria, hundreds...
Ex-President Obasanjo urges Ogun government to partner stakeholders on waste management
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Ogun government to partner stakeholders in the waste management sector to enable the state to achieve a cleaner environment. Obasanjo stated this when the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) team visited him at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), on Thursday in Abeokuta. He commended Gov. Dapo Abiodun for establishing the agency for proper sanitation, saying that this was a demonstration of his determination to ensure a cleaner environment in the state. “I am advising the governor and his administration to partner with the various stakeholders in the waste management sector. “This will help the state to reap its efforts at making the environment clean, which is the main reason for establishing the agency,” Obasanjo said...
CSOs threaten to occupy National Assembly over Electoral Act amendment
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations has threatened to occupy the National Assembly after Ramadan fasting, if the lawmakers fail to pass the Bill for an amendment of the Electoral Act. The CSOs which include Center For Liberty, Concerned Nigeria, The Electoral Hub, and Raising New Voices Initiative, issued the threat at a joint news conference on Thursday in Abuja. The Co-convener, Centre for Liberty, Mr Dare Ariyo-Atoye, who read the joint speech of the CSOs, said they were worried that the 9th National Assembly was yet to pass the bill. According to him the passage of the bill could have given them lasting legacies and written their names in gold. Ariyo-Atoye said that in the last 15 months, CSOs had consistently engaged lawmakers and appealed to the NASS to make the passage of a n...
Osun FC lifts suspension on Bright Omokaro, others
Management of Osun United Football Club of Osogbo has lifted the suspension placed on the team’s Head Coach, Bright Omokaro. The club also said the suspension of the two assistant coaches, Bayo Adesina and Wole Animasahun, as well as a player, Olusola Akilapa, had also been lifted. Osun United Media Officer, Tajudeen Amodu, on Thursday, made it known that the decision to lift the suspension was taken on Wednesday. Amodu explained further that the decision to lift the suspension was taken after the management’s meeting to review the club’s performance, after the mid-season break declared by the Nigeria National League (NNL). He said the management, while lifting the suspension, charged the reinstated coaches to be up and doing and take the club back to its winning form, when the league resu...
JAMB scraps use of email for UTME, DE registration
File Photo The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said the use of email is no longer required for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) registration processes. The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who made this known while addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, said email will only be requested at the successful completion of the registration by candidates to access information on the exam. He said as from Thursday, April 15, 2021, candidates will no longer be required to provide any email address during registration, adding that consequently, candidates will have the options to access their profile during or after registration. He said the options include “mobile APP on the candidates’ phone, on the 55019 option (being desig...
‘None of Us Thought We’d Be Doing Thursday 20 Years Later’: Geoff Rickly on Two Decades of Full Collapse
On April 10, 2001, Thursday released Full Collapse on Victory Records. At the time, a handful of punk and alternative publications thought the New Jersey-based rockers might be on to something, but mainstream outlets like Rolling Stone and Pitchfork found it to be underwhelming and confusing. It sold under 1,000 copies the week of its release and caused an insurmountable divide between the band and the label. Just under a year later, Full Collapse landed on the Billboard 200 (peaking at No. 178) and Thursday had become undeniably one of the biggest influences on the rising emo scene that would soon take over the rock world. Their commercial success was just beginning, with “Understanding in a Car Crash” continuing to grow in popularity both within and beyond the Warped Tour ...
PDP: Imo attacks show Governor Uzodinma’s failure
File Photo The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday said that the Monday attacks on Owerri Correctional Center and the state Police Command headquarters in Owerri were indications that the state governor, Hope Uzodinma, had failed. At a press conference in Owerri, the state capital, the PDP chairman in the state, Charles Ugwu, urged the governor to stop blame games and take responsibility. The chairman said that the party was disturbed that stranger elements could gain such easy access into the inner recesses of the central points of security administration in the state and struck without any challenge. He said, “We have therefore concluded that lives and property are not safe and secure in the state under the watch of the current regime.” “In his speeches and inte...
