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Thursday, 29 September 2022 06:54

‘Nigerians are sparkling like diamonds in the pack’ among nations, FG says as Monday is declared holiday for Independence Day

Federal Government on Wednesday declared Monday, October 3, 2022, as public holiday to mark the nation’s 62nd Independence anniversary celebration. Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated all Nigerians on this year’s celebration. Aregbesola in a statement signed by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Shuaib Belgore, assured of government’s commitment to tackling all the challenges facing the nation and bringing smiles to the faces of all the people, reiterating the eminent position of Nigeria in the comity of nations and the greatness ahead of the country. He said “The world is going…

Thursday, 29 September 2022 06:50

US, Europe running out of weapons to send to Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held a special meeting of the alliance's arms directors to discuss ways to refill member nations' weapons stockpiles. But ramping up defense production is no quick or easy feat. The U.S. has been by far the largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia, providing $15.2 billion in weapons packages to date since Moscow invaded its neighbor in late February. In the U.S. weapons industry, the normal production level for artillery rounds for the 155 millimeter howitzer — a long-range heavy artillery weapon currently used on the battlefields of Ukraine — is…

Thursday, 29 September 2022 06:48

What to know after Day 218 of Russia-Ukraine war

Moscow was poised to annex a swath of Ukraine, releasing what it called vote tallies showing support in four partially occupied provinces to join Russia, after what Kyiv and the West denounced as illegal sham referendums held at gunpoint. REFERENDUM * On Moscow's Red Square, a tribune with giant video screens has been set up, with billboards proclaiming "Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!" * Head of the upper house of the Russian parliament said it could consider the incorporation of the four regions on Oct. 4, three days before Russian President Putin's 70th birthday. * Residents who escaped to…

Wednesday, 28 September 2022 06:19

CBN hikes rate to highest level to fight inflation, Naira devaluation

Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday hiked its main lending rate by 150 basis points to 15.50%, its highest level yet and more than forecast, forging ahead with efforts to rein in inflation and ease pressure on the currency. A Reuters poll of economists had predicted a much smaller 50 basis point hike. But with inflation at its highest in 17 years, CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele said the Monetary Policy Committee had to continue with an aggressive stance. Annual inflation rose for a seventh straight month in August to 20.52% from 19.64% in July. Tuesday's rate hike, the third in…

Wednesday, 28 September 2022 06:18

Bill increasing number of Appeal Court judges from 90 to 110 passes in Senate

Senate has passed a bill seeking to increase the maximum number of judges in the appeal court from 90 to 110. The upper legislative chamber passed the bill on Tuesday after Opeyemi Bamidele, chairman of the senate committee on judiciary, presented a report. The bill was sponsored by Chukwu Utazi, senator representing Enugu north. Increasing the number of judges, Bamidele explained, is an effort to eliminate delay in the delivery of justice. According to him, the bill was designed to bring justice closer to litigants in line with the “current reality at expediting the administration of justice”. “This is necessary…

Wednesday, 28 September 2022 06:17

Presidency to Akeredolu: Mind your speech, no state security outfit authorised to use AK-47

In an apparent response to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, the presidency has stated that no state’s security forces have been permitted to use automatic rifles such as AK-47s. In a statement sent to journalists Tuesday evening, Garba Shehu, spokesperson of President Muhammadu Buhari, said the president “has repeatedly made it clear that nobody is allowed to illegally carry AK-47 or any other automatic weapons and that they must surrender them.” It would be recalled that Akeredolu had questioned why a security outfit established by Katsina State was allowed to carry AK-47s but security outfits established by states in…

Wednesday, 28 September 2022 06:17

There are ‘extraordinarily high numbers of children with malnutrition in Northwest Nigeria’ - MSF

Nigeria faces worsening malnutrition in the Northwest due to insecurity, high food prices and the impact of climate change, Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) said on Tuesday, calling for the region to be included in United Nations funding plans next year. Gunmen have terrorised the Northwest, killing and kidnapping people for ransom this year. Africa's most populous nation is already grappling with an Islamist insurgency that has displaced at least two million people in more than a decade. Insecurity has prevented some farmers from planting in a region now experiencing some of its worst flooding in years. MSF said it had…

Wednesday, 28 September 2022 06:16

Trains for Lagos metro rail project arrive

Lagos State government has taken delivery of new trains from Milwaukee, United States, for its red line rail project. The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, made this known in a statement on his Facebook page on Tuesday. Omotoso noted the delivery of the new trains was ahead of the rail system, scheduled to begin operation in the first quarter of 2023. Omotoso wrote, “Another major milestone in the drive by Lagos state to deliver the operation of the red line rail system by first quarter 2023. “The Talgo series 8 Trains acquired for the red line have…

Wednesday, 28 September 2022 06:14

What to know after Day 217 of Russia-Ukraine war

Russian-installed officials in four occupied regions of Ukraine reported huge majorities of votes in favour of joining Russia as the United States planned a U.N. resolution condemning the referendums as shams and Moscow remained defiant. * Europe is investigating what Germany, Denmark and Sweden said were attacks that caused major leaks into the Baltic Sea from two Russian gas pipelines at the centre of an energy standoff. It remains unclear who might be responsible. * Head of the upper house of the Russian parliament said that if the vote results were favourable it could consider the incorporation of the four…

Tuesday, 27 September 2022 06:41

Nationwide blackout as electricity grid collapses yet again

Nigeria's national electricity grid collapsed on Monday leaving many parts of the country without power, electricity distribution companies said. The grid has collapsed at least seven times this year, which authorities blame on technical problems. Last month workers from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) went on strike and temporarily shut the grid. Electricity distribution firms, known as Discos, said the outage happened earlier on Monday and they were working with TCN to restore supplies. They did not state the cause of the outage. Nigeria has installed capacity of 12,500 megawatts but produces about a quarter of that, leaving many…

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Tuesday, 27 September 2022 06:40

FG issues - no! - withdraws circular directing VCs to reopen universities

Hours after issuing a directive asking vice-chancellors to reopen universities for the resumption of lectures, the federal government has withdrawn the circular. According to the Punch, the latest decision was contained in a circular signed by Sam Onazi, director of finance and account of the National Universities Commission (NUC). “I have been directed to withdraw the NUC Circular Ref: NUC/ES/138/Vol.64/135, and dated September 23, 2022 on the abovesubject,” the circular reportedly reads. “Consequently, the said circular stands withdrawn. All pro-chancellors and chairmen of governing councils, as well as vice-chancellors of federal universities are to please note. “Further development and information…

Tuesday, 27 September 2022 06:39

Retired military officers, widows of soldiers killed by Boko Haram block Defence Hq over unpaid allowances

Some retired military officers on Monday defied early morning downpour to stage the third phase of their protest at the headquarters of Ministry of Defence, Abuja. The protesters lamented non-payment of their Security Debarment Allowance, among others. The aggrieved protesters, joined by some relatives of the deceased personnel, blocked access road to the Ministry located at Ship House on Olusegun Obasanjo Way in the Federal Capital Territory. The military veterans under the aegis of the Retired Members of Nigerian Armed Forces and the Coalition of Concerned Veterans, accused Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, of being insensitive to their plight. Addressing…

Tuesday, 27 September 2022 06:35

What to know after Day 216 of Russia-Ukraine war

Ukrainian and Russian forces were locked in heavy fighting in different parts of Ukraine on Tuesday as Russian-organised referendums in four regions Moscow hopes to annex drew to a close. REFERENDUMS * President Vladimir Putin is preparing to formally annex around 15% of Ukrainian territory after referendums on joining Russia in areas controlled by Russian forces or Russian-backed separatists. * Britain announced a new package of sanctions linked to what it described as Moscow's "sham" referendums. RUSSIAN MOBILISATION * Ukrainians in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol fear they will be called up by Moscow after some residents said they were…

Monday, 26 September 2022 06:18

MPC meets today to tackle double whammy of high inflation, rapidly falling Naira

As the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meets today and tomorrow, there are posers over a relief for the weakening naira or the speedy inflationary rise, which has prevailed despite a $38.7 billion external reserve. Just at the weekend, the naira crashed to N720 per the United States Dollar (USD) on the black market being the lowest so far while it also fell on the official Import and Export (I&E) market to N436.33/$. Based on the exchange rate at the parallel market, which many say is a window for the price discovery of the local currency, the Naira has lost about…

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