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Tuesday, 05 May 2020 05:19

83m Nigerians extremely poor, living on less than $1 daily - NBS

National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that four out of every 10 Nigerians are poor. The executive summary of the 2019 Poverty and Inequality in Nigeria released on Monday by NBS showed that 40.1 percent of Nigeria’s total population was classified as poor. This translates to over 82.9 million Nigerians who are considered poor by national standards. The executive summary, which NBS said it would publish the full report at a later date, showed that on average 4 out of 10 individuals in Nigeria have real per capita expenditures below N137,430 (approximately 353 US dollars) per year. This translates…

Tuesday, 05 May 2020 05:18

Lagos, Abuja roar back to life as lockdowns phased out

Nigeria began easing restrictions on Monday in its capital Abuja and in largest city Lagos, heralding the reopening of Africa’s biggest economy after more than four weeks of lockdowns imposed to contain the new coronavirus. The government has said a 24-hour, stay-at-home order in place since March 30 in Abuja and the states of Lagos and Ogun - with exceptions only for food shopping and health-related trips - will be lifted gradually over a six-week period. These densely populated regions will now come into line with the rest of the country in which slightly looser restrictions introduced last week by…

Tuesday, 05 May 2020 05:17

FG threatens another lockdown if Coronavirus cases spike

Federal Government has vowed to lockdown parts of the country again should there be explosion of coronavirus cases. Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Mr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said although it expected some lapses in compliance to safety precautions, it was worried corporate organisations, especially banks on Monday flouted NCDC’s guideline for infection prevention and control. Speaking during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, the NCDC boss said: “Initial reports are not too pleasing across the country. “When we say take responsibility this time, yes we are addressing individuals but we really needed to…

Tuesday, 05 May 2020 05:16

Buhari pleads for debt cancellation from IMF, World Bank

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged international financial institutions to assist member states in cushioning the negative impact of the pandemic in the spirit of solidarity. Mr Buhari said the assistance includes extending concessional loans, technical support, lowering of tariff on medical equipment and consumables, sharing of expertise in case management, adopting open trade policies, as well as outright debt cancellation. Already, countries ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic have been seeking loans from international financial institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) among others. “Within the spirit of South-South cooperation, we must also assist one another, particularly the…

Tuesday, 05 May 2020 05:15

FG confirms receipt of $311m Abacha loots from US

Federal government on Monday confirmed receipt of $311 million looted by a late dictator, Sani Abacha. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Mr Umar Gwandu, said approximately $311,797,866.11 of the Abacha loot was repatriated from the US and Jersey. According to Mr Malami, “The amount increased significantly from over $308 million as stated in a press release in February to over $311 million because of the interest that accrued from February 3, 2020, to 28th April, 2020, when the fund was transferred to…

Tuesday, 05 May 2020 05:13

Court slams FG with N1m fine, condemns police disruption of #RevolutionNow protest

Federal High Court in Lagos has awarded N1 million against the federal government over police disruption of the August 5, 2019 #RevolutionNow protest. The court awarded the N1 million in favour of a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, who said he participated in the protest and was among those tear-gassed by security agents. The nationwide protest was convened by rights activist, Mr Omoyele Sowore, arrested by Department of State Services on August 3, 2019 and only released on December 24, 2019. The court, in a judgment by Mrs Maureen Onyetenu, declared the disruption of the peaceful protest by the Nigerian…

Tuesday, 05 May 2020 05:12

Palace of Emir of Buhari’s hometown sealed over Covid-19

Palace of the Emir of Daura, President Muhammadu Buhari's hometown, has been sealed after it recorded a case of Covid-19. Secretary to the state government, Mr Mustapha Inuwa, who confirmed the development, said the results of samples taken will determine when the palace will be reopened. “It is a normal protocol worldwide that anywhere positive cases are recorded, the places are sealed off and samples taken to address spread,” he added. Speaking on the matter, spokesman of the state police command, Mr Gambo Isa, said “For the police, Daura is under lockdown and so it shall be in every nook…

Tuesday, 05 May 2020 05:10

Boko Haram-like insurgency festering in Mozambique

A simmering Islamist rebellion in a remote corner of Mozambique has erupted into open warfare in recent weeks, with reports of massacres, beheadings and the brief seizure of two towns in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, writes BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding. The armed men walked calmly through the long grass, skirting past a large white building, seemingly untroubled by the sound of gunfire. Most carried automatic rifles and wore variations of what appeared to be Mozambican army uniforms. A few more shots rang out in the distance and someone shouted "Allahu Akbar" - God is the greatest -…

Tuesday, 05 May 2020 05:08

China’s own intelligence community reports country faces massive global backlash over virus

An internal Chinese report warns that Beijing faces a rising wave of hostility in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that could tip relations with the United States into confrontation, people familiar with the paper told Reuters. The report, presented early last month by the Ministry of State Security to top Beijing leaders including President Xi Jinping, concluded that global anti-China sentiment is at its highest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, the sources said. As a result, Beijing faces a wave of anti-China sentiment led by the United States in the aftermath of the pandemic and needs to be…

Monday, 04 May 2020 05:47

Buhari appoints members into boards of NAICOM, NDIC

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mr Sunday Thomas as substantive Commissioner for Insurance/Chief Executive Officer, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM). Mr Yunusa Abdullahi, Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday. Thomas replaced Mr Mohammed Kari, who was Acting Commissioner for Insurance/CEO of the commission. The new appointee has over three decades of experience in the industry as an operator and regulator. He was appointed Deputy Commissioner in charge of technical matters by Mr Buhari in April 2017 and was also a former…

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Monday, 04 May 2020 05:44

Kano mass deaths caused by coronavirus - FG

Leader of the Presidential Task Force Committee on Covid-19, Mr Nasiru Sani Gwarzo has on Sunday said coronavirus pandemic was responsible and the cause of the waves of mysterious deaths recorded in Kano State. Gwarzo said the recent deaths and from the test, it carried out it has been established that Covid-19 is the cause. He disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in the state on Sunday after the ceremony of donation of mobile testing laboratory facilities by Mr Aliko Dangote to Kano State Government. According to Gwarzo, “Let me inform us that, most of the deaths recorded of recent…

Monday, 04 May 2020 05:43

Despite reducing fees charged for its exam, JAMB remits N3.5bn to FG

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has returned N3.5 billion to the Federation Account from the excess generated from its operations during the conduct of 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). It said that it had returned N3.5 billion to the government following sales of ePINs to UTME candidates, bringing the total remittance this year by the board to N7 billion. The board pledged to make further remittance to the government as soon as its operations are concluded and proper audit of its books done. JAMB’s Head of Media and Information, Mr Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement yesterday…

Monday, 04 May 2020 05:42

US claims China intentionally concealed coronavirus severity

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday stepped up administration claims that China mounted efforts to hide the extent of the coronavirus spread, including concealing the severity while stockpiling medical supplies. "You've got the facts just about right," Pompeo told ABC's "This Week" when asked if China intentionally stockpiled medical supplies in early January while it concealed the severity of Covid-19. "We can confirm that the Chinese Communist Party did all that it could to make sure that the world didn't learn in a timely fashion about what was taking place." Pompeo's comments come as the Trump administration is…

Monday, 04 May 2020 05:41

Coronavirus: Air passengers told to wear face masks

Some major airlines are now requiring passengers to wear face mask on flights to limit the spread of viruses. Many big US airlines are bringing in new health and safety policies for both passengers and cabin crew this week. Other carriers around the world are also making mask wearing mandatory for when they restart flights. Airlines, which have been severely hit during the coronavirus downturn, said they only plan to enforce the measure for a temporary period. From Monday, US carrier Delta said it requires passengers to wear a mask or other face covering in the check-in area, premium lounges,…

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