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Saturday, 16 May 2020 05:19

CJN directs release of prisoners nationwide, gives guidelines

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mr Tanko Muhammad has directed the release of inmates in correctional centres who have no confirmed criminal case. In a letter issued on Friday and addressed to all chief judges, states judiciaries and FCT, the CJN said there is an urgent need to decongest Nigerian prisons owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. He directed judges to embark on visits to prisons within their jurisdiction and identify those deserving of release. Muhammad also told judges to take urgent steps towards ensuring speedy dispensation of trials. According to him, available records show that the ”inmate population at various…

Saturday, 16 May 2020 05:17

FG gives ultimatum to aviation agencies to relocate to Abuja

Minister of Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, has given aviation agencies a 45-day ultimatum to relocate to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city. The minister noted that the directive is due to the need to reduce the cost of governance and manage scarce resources. The ministry confirmed the development in a tweet Friday. “Minister of @fmaviationng Sen.@hadisirika has given @FAAN_Official @NAMANIGERIA @NigerianCAA other, 45 days within which to relocate their corporate Hqrts in Lagos to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in line with the Presidential directives given in 2012,” the ministry said in a tweet Friday. The affected aviation agencies include Nigerian Civil…

Saturday, 16 May 2020 05:12

'Vaccine or no vaccine,' US is reopening - Trump

President Donald Trump has promised the US will reopen "vaccine or no vaccine", as he announced an objective to deliver a coronavirus jab by year end. He likened the vaccine project, dubbed "Operation Warp Speed", to the World War Two effort to produce the world's first nuclear weapons. But Mr Trump made clear that even without a vaccine, Americans must begin to return to their lives as normal. Many experts doubt that a coronavirus jab can be developed within a year. What is Operation Warp Speed? Speaking at a White House Rose Garden news conference on Friday, Mr Trump said…

Friday, 15 May 2020 05:15

Sokoto, Taraba, Jigawa, Ebonyi have highest poverty rates; while Lagos, Delta, Osun, Ogun have the least. This is how other states stand

Four in every ten Nigerian (40.1 per cent) earn less than ₦377 per day, but in Sokoto, Taraba and Jigawa, about nine in ten earn that amount, according to the 2019 poverty and inequality report by Nigeria’s statistics bureau. Following closely behind these states are Ebonyi and Adamawa, where eight in ten earn ₦377 daily; as well as Zamfara, Yobe and Niger, where seven in ten earn that amount. On the flipside are states with low poverty rates: Lagos (5 in 100), Delta (6 in 100), Osun (9 in 100), Ogun (9 in 100), and Oyo (10 in 100). The…

Friday, 15 May 2020 05:13

Court slams N10m fine against SSS in suit involving Buhari’s daughter

A Federal High Court in Asaba, Delta State, on Thursday, slammed a N10 million fine against the State Security Service (SSS) over a sim card controversy lawsuit involving President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter. Hanan Buhari, the SSS and telecoms firm, MTN, were sued for human rights abuse by Mr Anthony Okolie, a man detained for 10 weeks over the use of a sim card previously used by the president’s daughter. Okolie, through his lawyer, Mr Tope Akinyode, had demanded N500 million “as general and aggravated damages for the gross and unlawful violation of the applicant’s right to acquire moveable properties, freedom…

Friday, 15 May 2020 05:11

Lockdown: Nigeria records declining hospital attendance, health services

Covid-19 pandemic is taking its toll on all health services in the country as the Federal Government says outpatient visits to hospitals nationwide have reduced by half. Minister of Health, Mr Osagie Ehanire, who stated this on Thursday at the press briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, said that latest statistics obtained by Federal Government showed that pregnant women and other outpatients’ visits to hospitals had dropped by half. He also said immunisation services had reduced by half. Ehanire, however, said the gradual easing of the lockdown in the country would address the problems. Although Nigeria recorded its…

Friday, 15 May 2020 05:10

Adamawa, Gombe ease lockdown as markets, worship centres re-open

Governments of Adamawa and Gombe have lifted the lockdown in their states. Both states had ordered the lockdown as a measure to curb the spread of Covid-19. In a statement on Thursday, Mr Humwashi Wonosikou, press secretary to governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa said churches, mosques and markets can now open for activities. “Churches, Mosques and the international cattle markets under lockdown can now reopen, but must ensure social distancing with no more than 50 people at a time,” the statement read. “Other measures include provision of hand sanitisers or washing of hands and temperature checks at the point of…

Friday, 15 May 2020 05:08

FG approves six new colleges of education

Federal government has approved establishment of six new federal colleges of education in each of the six geo-political zones of the country. Spokesperson for Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Ben Gooong, confirmed this to reporters Thursday night. The new institutions would be located at Bauchi, Benue, Ebonyi, Osun, Sokoto, and Edo States. A letter signed by permanent secretary ministry of education, Mr Sunny Echono said an inspection was due for May 11 to “facilitate early take-off.’ There are 152 colleges of education in Nigeria, consisting of 21 federal, 82 private and 49 state colleges. PT

Friday, 15 May 2020 05:07

Makinde’s ‘right-hand’ man, Kehinde Ayoola, is dead

Mr Kehinde Ayoola, Oyo State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resource, is dead. He was 55. A member of his family confirmed the death Thursday afternoon. Mr Taiwo Adisa, the spokesperson to Governor Seyi Makinde, also confirmed the death. The cause of his death is yet to be ascertained but he was reported to have been sick for about two weeks until his death. Mr Ayoola was born on January 14, 1965 in Oyo town, Oyo State, Nigeria. He attended Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He studied Animal Science and Environmental Management and Control. He represented Oyo East state constituency between…

Thursday, 14 May 2020 05:44

More than half of FG’s revised 2020 Budget to be financed through borrowing

Federal executive council (FEC) has approved an increase in the size of the revised 2020 budget by N318 billion from N10.276 trillion to N10.523 trillion. The total budget size is N71.5 billion lesser than the original budget of N10.594 trillion and N318 billion higher than the N10.276 trillion revised budget sent to the national assembly. Addressing journalists after the virtual meeting on Wednesday, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning said the crude oil benchmark price of $25 per barrel for the adjusted 2020 budget, up from the $20 per barrel announced by the budget office. Ahmed…

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Thursday, 14 May 2020 05:44

Immigration service resumes passports issuance

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has resumed issuance of international passports following the relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown by the Federal Government. Its public relations officer, Mr Sunday James, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said the distribution is subject to invitations from passport officers. To clear the backlog for improved service delivery, the organisation added that those whose documents are ready would be invited to pick them up via short messages. According to James, “the standard practice for now is that, in states where the restriction of movement has been eased, applicants are invited through SMS and given a date…

Thursday, 14 May 2020 05:43

Borno suspends lockdown, permits churches and mosques to re-open

The lockdown declared in Borno state has been suspended indefinitely. The state government has also relaxed the ban on religious gatherings, but called for strict guidelines on maintaining physical distancing in mosques and churches. Meanwhile, the ban on Eid prayers are still in force. Mr Umar Kadafur, deputy governor and chairman of the state Covid-19 response committee, made this known in a statement. According to him, the “stringent measures” taken to limit the spread of the Coronavirus “yielded the desired results”, as the state had recorded “significant progress” in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. He, however, noted that if…

Wednesday, 13 May 2020 05:20

Buhari sends 42 ambassador-nominees to Senate for confirmation

President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated 42 career diplomats he wants the Senate to confirm as ambassadors. He forwarded the names of the nominees to Senate seeking confirmation of their appointments “in accordance to section 171(2)(1c) and Subsection 4 of the 1999 constitution. His letter was read out by Senate President, Mr Ahmad Lawan, at the start of plenary on Tuesday. The nominnes are, C. O Nwachukwu (Abia), A. Kefas (Adamawa), R. U Brown (Akwa Ibom), G. A, Odidibo (Anambra), O. C Onowu (Anambra), Y. S Sulieman (Bauchi), E. S Agbana (Bayelsa), B. B.M Okoyen (Bayelsa), G. M Okoko (Benue), A.…

Wednesday, 13 May 2020 05:19

Buhari appoints senior officials for law reform commission, NDIC, NALDA

Senate on Tuesday received President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the confirmation of Jumai Audi as a chairperson of Nigerian Law Reform Commission. Also to be confirmed are Ebele Chima, Commissioner, South East; Bassey Abia, Commissioner, South-South; and Mohammed Ibraheem, Commissioner, South-West. The letter from the president requesting the confirmation of the nominees reads: “In compliance with the provision of section 2(2) of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission Act No. 7 of 199, I wrote to forward to the Senate for confirmation the under-listed (4)names of nominees as Chairman and full-time members of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission.” The upper chamber…

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