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Friday, 02 June 2017 03:27

Chaos as House rejects S’East development bill

The House of Representatives was again thrown into a rowdy session on Thursday, forcing a hasty adjournment of proceedings. The cause of the rowdiness was the rejection of a bill seeking to establish a South-East Development Commission. The bill failed at the session, which was presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, after it had been debated. A similar bill to establish the North-East Development Commission had since been passed by the National Assembly, awaiting the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari. However, South-East lawmakers immediately protested the decision on the grounds that the House could have, at least, allowed…

Friday, 02 June 2017 03:25

Nigerians, others to pay for UK Visa email enquiries

Nigerians and other nationals who make email enquiries about UK visa, will now have to pay a fee of £5.48, in addition to the cost of the visa. British High Commission said from June 1, email enquiries by visa customers applying from outside the UK would attract the fee as from June 1. The high commission made this known in a brief report on changes to UK Visas & Immigration customer care operations made available by its Media Officer, Mr Joseph Abuku, in Abuja on Monday. According to the report, the changes would help the government reduce costs and ensure…

Friday, 02 June 2017 03:24

44 Nigerian, Ghanaian migrants perish in Sahara Desert

44 migrants from Nigeria and Ghana have died in the Sahara Desert after their truck broke down in arid northern Niger. Red Cross said the migrants, most of whom have not been identified, died this week. According to Reuters, six survivors walked to a remote village where they said that 44 people, mostly from Ghana and Nigeria and including three babies and two other children, died of thirst, said Lawal Taher, department head for the Red Cross in the Bilma region. Taher said a search for the bodies was underway. The number of migrants who cross the Sahara has increased…

Friday, 02 June 2017 03:22

Senate wants tolls back on federal roads

The Senate is proposing the return of tolls on federal roads and the setting aside of 0.5 per cent of transport fares paid by mass transit passengers for inter-state trips to generate funds for the rehabilitation and maintenance of roads in the country. A levy of N5 will also be imposed on every litre of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) and Automobile General Oil (diesel) imported or refined in the country for the same purpose. These were part of the recommendations of the Senate Committee on Works on National Roads Fund Establishment Bill, 2017 “for the purpose of financing the maintenance…

Friday, 02 June 2017 03:21

Exiting Paris, Trump leaves deal shaped by US priorities

President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement is a heavy blow to a deal that in many ways was designed to ensure the participation of the United States, regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans control the White House. The U.S. under the Obama administration played a leading role in making the deal come together and convincing China and other developing countries that they needed to join the fight against global warming. In difficult talks leading up to the December 2015 accord, other countries often yielded to U.S. positions so that the world's biggest economy wouldn't walk away,…

Friday, 02 June 2017 03:07

FG to establish special schools for married women - Minister

The Federal Government will establish special schools for women who abandoned school to get married, Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Aisha Alhassan, has said. “All women that married at early age will have the opportunity to continue with their education from their husbands houses. “The schools will be in two categories so as to avoid problems emanating from the establishment of the schools. “The first category is for those who started their schooling but due to one reason or the other dropped out. “The other category is for the Adult Literacy classes that will be established in all local governments…

Friday, 02 June 2017 03:05

Nigerians are tired of promises; they want to see results, says Archbishop

Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Martins says Nigerians have yet to feel the effect of the nation’s economy coming out of recession. Martins spoke at a news conference to mark his 58th birthday at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos, on Thursday. The archbishop said that Nigerians continued to face hard times, despite government’s assurance that the economy was gradually moving out of recession. He said: “While this is gladsome to hear, the reality is that the impacts are yet to be felt at the grassroots. The cost of living is very high; workers are being retrenched daily. “Even…

Thursday, 01 June 2017 17:06

Senate approves 15 resident electoral commissioners

The senate has confirmed 15 of the 27 resident electoral commissioners (RECs) of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) sent by President Muhammadu Buhari in March. This followed the adoption of the report submitted by Sen. Suleiman M. Nazif, who chairs the Committee of Independent National Electoral Commission. Nazif said that the remaining 12 nominees were still undergoing screening though all the 27 have been cleared by the security agencies. President Buhari had sent the 27 REC nominees to the Senate for confirmation in compliance with section 14(3)(a) of the third schedule to the 1999 constitution as amended. The Confirmed nominees…

Thursday, 01 June 2017 04:01

Herdsmen attacks, another Boko Haram – Senate

The Senate, yesterday, highlighted the need to deal decisively with herdsmen attacks across the country, describing the phenomenon as another form of Boko Haram. The Upper legislative chamber, which noted that the modus operandi of the herdsmen was not different from that of Boko Haram, also charged security agencies to put a check on the attacks, apprehend the culprits and bring them to justice. This is the second time in a week that the Senate would take a strong position on the issue, having, last week, directed Inspector General of Police to go after the herdsmen. It also observed a…

Thursday, 01 June 2017 03:59

FG begins moves to teach maths, science subjects in indigenous languages

The Federal Government says primary and secondary schools in the country will soon start teaching Mathematics and Science subjects in indigenous languages. Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, said this at the inauguration of inter-ministerial committee on teaching of mathematics and science subjects in local languages in Abuja on Wednesday. The inter-ministerial committee involves Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Education. He said the inter-ministerial committee would help to develop the capacity of local languages to serve as effective tools for teaching mathematics and science subjects. According to him, the project will help Nigerian students…

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Thursday, 01 June 2017 03:57

Nigeria resumes vaccines production

Nigeria is to begin production of vaccines in Lagos this year, it was announced yesterday. Health Minister Prof Isaac Adewole said Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a proposal to go into a joint venture with pharmaceutical giant May & Baker. The government will hold 49 per cent equity and the company will have the rest. According to the plan, the company will have an initial capital of N100 million and equity contributions of N1.3 billion and N1.27 billion. “It will take off in 2017. The company will between 2017 and 2021 produce basic vaccines that we need,” the minister said.…

Thursday, 01 June 2017 03:56

‘Navy used machine guns to destroy Calabar police station’

Following Tuesday’s clash between the navy and police in Calabar, indications emerged on Wednesday that some naval operatives used a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) to bring down a section of the Akim Police Barracks in the Cross River State capital. Trouble started earlier on Tuesday when an unidentified naval rating was shot in the left shoulder by a policeman over an alleged traffic offence. The situation later degenerated as a section of the Akim Police Station, which is located along the busy IBB Way, was allegedly burnt by navy personnel, while two police vehicles were set ablaze. It was…

Thursday, 01 June 2017 03:54

Dino Melaye reacts to bribery scandal

Senator Dino Melaye, has denied offering bribe to a judge, Akon Ikpeme, who handled the petition brought against the lawmaker’s election in 2015. An online media, Sahara Reporters, had published an audio which appeared to contain exchanges between the lawmaker and the judge as they discussed the bribe money. In the leaked clip, a male voice believed to be Mr. Melaye’s, could be heard assuring a female speaker, alleged to be the judge, of his readiness to pay some money, which the female speaker emphasised should be “in USD (United States dollars)”. “(It’s a) blatant falsehood,” Mr. Melaye said on…

Thursday, 01 June 2017 03:45

Teachers will retire at 65 soon, says Dogara

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has assured Nigerian teachers that the National Assembly will increase their retirement age from 60 to 65 years to retain more experienced teachers in public schools. Dogara disclosed this when he received a delegation from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) who paid him a courtesy visit on Wednesday in Abuja. The NUT was led by Mr Michael Alogba Olukoya. The speaker said that the house would support an upward review of teachers’ retirement age to benefit Nigerian children. “We have done it for the Tertiary institutions and the Judiciary, so…

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