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Friday, 29 May 2020 05:58

After previous $22.79bn loan approval from Senate, Buhari writes NASS for fresh $5.5bn loan

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to Senate and House of Representatives, seeking approval for a fresh loan of $5.513 billion. In a letter read by Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, at plenary on Thursday, the president said the loan was to finance the 2020 budget deficit, financing of critical projects, and supporting some states of the federation. A similar letter was read by Senate President Ahmad Lawan during plenary, on Thursday. The president also presented a revised 2020 Appropriation Bill and the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper to both chambers of the National…

Friday, 29 May 2020 05:55

FG threatens to withhold allocations of states flouting financial autonomy of legislature, judiciary

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, yesterday stated that with the Executive Order 10 issued by President Muhammadu Buhari, federal government could through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation withhold allocations of any state that fails to honour the autonomy of the two other arms of the state government. Special Assistant to AGF on Media and Public Relations, Mr Umar Gwandu, said in a statement that the minister spoke yesterday in Abuja at a Radio Nigeria programme, ‘Politics Nationwide’. The new Executive Order was issued to the provision of section 121(3) of the…

Friday, 29 May 2020 05:54

Electricity companies drag FG to court over ‘business interference’

Electricity distribution companies have dragged the Federal Government to court to restrain it from further interfering in the corporate business activities of the power firms. According to the firms, the government, through Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and other agencies, had been interfering in the corporate activities of the Discos, a development, they claimed, had hampered their smooth operations. Senior officials of some of the power firms told our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday that the Discos resolved to take the matter to court. Nigeria’s power distribution firms include Abuja, Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ibadan, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano and Port Harcourt…

Friday, 29 May 2020 05:50

More Nigerians dying from other causes than Covid-19 - FG

Nigeria has recorded more deaths from hospitals’ refusal to attend to patients with other illnesses than from Covid-19 virus, Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has said. Mustapha while speaking at the daily Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 briefing on Thursday said there have been reports of refusal by some medical institutions to treat patients for fear of contracting the Covid-19 virus. Mustapha, who is also chairman of the task force, said the action portrayed by these medical institutions is unacceptable. “PTF has received rather sadly, reports of continued refusal by medical institutions to receive…

Friday, 29 May 2020 05:47

Buhari appoints new DG for Nuclear agency

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday appointed Mr Yau Usman Idris as Director-General of Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA). In a letter conveying the approval of Mr Buhari for the appointment, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, congratulated the new DG and urged him to work hard to justify the confidence reposed in him. The appointment is with effect from 19th February 2020. Federal Government established Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) on 3rd August 1995 with the responsibilities for nuclear safety and radiological protection regulation in Nigeria. NNRA however began effective operation in May, 2001. Sun

Friday, 29 May 2020 05:47

IGP reshuffles state police commands, moves Commissioners

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Adamu, has ordered the posting of 11 Commissioners of Police (CPs) to states and police formations. Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Frank Mba, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja. He listed the CPs deployed as; Undie Adie, Osun; Johnson Kokumo, Edo; Lawal Tanko, Bauchi; Philip Maku, Ebonyi; Ahmed Shehu, Gombe; Bolaji Salami, Ondo and Joe Enwonwu, Oyo. Others are; Evelyn Peterside, Eastern Port; Okon Ene, Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD); Bello Maikwashi, Airport Command and Sina Olukolu, Anti-Fraud Unit, FCID Annex, Lagos. IGP urged the posted officers to consolidate and…

Friday, 29 May 2020 05:44

Lagos commuters resort to trekking as fares rise on account of lockdown, curfew

Commuters in Lagos State are lamenting hike in fares which have gone up by 200 percent across the state since introduction of curfew by the Federal Government. Investigation by journalists revealed that most commuters now trek several kilometres to their places of work and residences since the lockdown and curfew introduced by the Federal Government. The increase in fares could go as high as 300 percent in the evenings. Most of the commuters blame the incessant increase in fare on greed by the transporters who take advantage of the curfew to inflict more hardship on the citizens. But the transport…

Friday, 29 May 2020 05:42

‘Life after service will be very difficult,’ NYSC member doing menial job at construction site laments

A 2019 Batch B Stream 1 National Youth Service Corps ( NYSC) member in Plateau State, Otso Philip, who is scheduled to pass out yesterday (Thursday), have been spotted in one of the construction site in Jos as a labourer at a construction site. The corps member, who studied Statistics at the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, was seen carrying bricks and backfilling a foundation with wheelbarrow yesterday. He told our correspondent that his recourse to engaging in a labourer work is the only option available at the moment during this pandemic as today’s passing out parade brings an end to the…

Friday, 29 May 2020 05:41

Trump signs executive order curbing legal protection for Twitter, Facebook, others

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at removing some of the legal protections given to social media platforms. It gives regulators the power to pursue legal actions against firms such as Facebook and Twitter for the way they police content on their platforms. Mr Trump accused social media platforms of having "unchecked power" while signing the order. The order is expected to face legal challenges. Legal experts says the US Congress or the court system must be involved to change the current legal understanding of protections for these platforms. Trump has regularly accused social media platforms…

Friday, 29 May 2020 05:39

World's ‘oldest man’ dies in UK

The world's oldest man, according to the Guinness World Records, has died from cancer in Britain at the age of 112, his family confirmed on Thursday. Mr Bob Weighton, a former teacher and engineer from the central English county Hampshire, died "peacefully" in his sleep at home on Thursday morning, they said. Weighton took up the title of the oldest man in the world in February after the death of the previous holder, Chitetsu Watanabe of Japan. "With great sadness, the Weighton family announces the death of our beloved Bob Weighton," relatives said in a statement to Britain's domestic Press…

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Thursday, 28 May 2020 04:59

Hope rises for improved electricity supply as Buhari approves funding for Siemens power deal

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved release of funds for the first phase of the Siemens electricity deal. In 2019, the president had signed a power project deal with Siemens AG, Germany-based firm, to deliver 7,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid by 2021. In a series of posts on the Twitter handle of the presidency on Wednesday, Buhari asked the ministry of power, finance and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to finalise the engagement with the company for work to begin on the project. He said the goal is to deliver electricity to Nigerian businesses and homes. “Mr…

Thursday, 28 May 2020 04:52

Buhari creates five new zonal commands for Nigeria Police

President Muhammadu Buhari on wednesday approved the creation of five new zonal commands of the Nigeria Police Force. He also directed the reorganisation of the departments of the force, notably the Force Intelligence Bureau and the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID). The five newly created commands are Ondo/Ekiti command with headquarters at Akure, Ondo State; and Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi Command with headquarters in Ukpo-Dunukofia in Anambra State. Others are Balyelsa/Rivers command with headquarters in Yenogoa,Bayelsa State; Katsina/Kaduna command with headquarters in Katsina; Yobe/Borno command with headquarters in Maiduguri, Borno State. In the new command structure arrangement, Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) is formally…

Thursday, 28 May 2020 04:51

Nigeria, Chad, two others to share $346m World loan for Lake Chad projects

World Bank Group on Wednesday announced approval of $346 million for two key projects in the Lake Chad region for the purposes of strengthening resilience and livelihoods. A statement issued by the Breton Woods institution indicated that the projects, which will be financed through the International Development Association, will be shared between Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. Specifically, one of the key projects at which the fund is going to be committed to is the Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project (MCRP) for North Eastern Nigeria, Additional Financing. “The first project, Lake Chad Region Recovery and Development Project (PROLAC, $170 million), will…

Thursday, 28 May 2020 04:50

FG to certify airlines before flight resumption

Federal Government is to certify airlines and other operators in Nigeria before resumption of flights once the country’s airspace and airports are re-opened for commercial operations. It was also gathered on Wednesday that all operators in the country’s civil aviation space were required to inform the government five days ahead before resuming operations. Nigerian airports had been under lockdown to commercial flights for about two months as part of measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. There had been calls for the reopening of airports and recommencement of commercial flight operations. But Federal Government through Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said…

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