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Wednesday, 29 April 2020 05:04

Senate bypasses ‘due process’, approves Buhari’s N850bn loan request in 5 mins

Senate, in a sitting that lasted less then five minutes, yesterday, approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to borrow a fresh loan of N850 billion to finance the 2020 budget. The request was contained in a letter read on the floor of the Senate by Senate President, Mr Ahmad Lawan. Buhari had sought the approval of the Senate, in line with provisions of the 1999 Constitution. Buhari said the loan, which would be sourced from the Nigerian domestic capital market to fund critical capital projects, had become necessary following the sharp fall in the price of crude oil. He said the…

Wednesday, 29 April 2020 05:03

IMF approves $3.4bn emergency loan to Nigeria

Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved Nigeria’s request for $34 billion emergency financial assistance. The loan, which has a maximum repayment period of five years, comes under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) meant for the country to meet its urgent balance of payment stemming from the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. IMF has however asked that Nigeria’s exchange rate be unified and that a large part of the $3.4 billion be channeled to the health sector. In a statement on Tuesday, the Fund said the near-term economic impact of Covid-19 is expected to be severe, while…

Wednesday, 29 April 2020 05:01

Covid-19: Germany grants Nigeria debt relief

Germany has granted Nigeria a debt relief worth €22.4 million (N8.9bn) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Germany also noted it has pledged a total of €12 million (N4.8bn) in additional support to the West Africa Health Organisation, the regional health institution of the ECOWAS. In a statement on Tuesday, Germany, Europe’s largest economy, said the debt relief was in addition to its support of the pandemic response globally. It said: “In 2020, the German treasury relieves Nigeria of debt repayments amounting to €22.4 million (N8.9bn). “This comes in addition to Germany’s support to the Covid-19 response on a global level…

Wednesday, 29 April 2020 05:00

Jonathan reacts as FG searches for his bank accounts in US

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, has again said that he has no account or property abroad. Mr Jonathan said this in a statement Tuesday. The statement, signed by Mr Ikechukwu Eze, spokesman to Jonathan, was issued in response to moves by federal government to subpoena bank records purportedly belonging to Jonathan and his wife, Patience. “Our attention has been drawn to international media reports to the effect that Federal Government of Nigeria has subpoenaed bank records for former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience Jonathan in the United States of America,” Eze said. “We aver that the Federal Government did…

Wednesday, 29 April 2020 04:59

FG declares Friday public holiday for Workers’ Day

Federal government has declared Friday, May 1, as public holiday to mark this year’s International Workers’ Day. A statement signed by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mrs Georgina Ehuriah, on Monday, said the Minister, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration on behalf of Federal Government. In the statement, Aregbesola commended Nigerian workers for their “resilience, patience and understanding, particularly in their support of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration’s efforts at stemming the spread of Covid-19 pandemic in the country.” The International Workers’ Day, also known as Workers’ Day, Labour Day, or May Day, is marked every May 1.…

Wednesday, 29 April 2020 04:58

Senate gets new spokesperson as lawmakers adjourn indefinitely

Senate President has named Osun senator, Mr Ajibola Basiru, as the new chairman of Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs. Basiru will take over from Mr Godiya Akwashiki, who was acting spokesperson after a court sacked Mr Adedayo Adeyeye from the Senate. Mr Akwashiki (APC, Nasarawa) will now chair Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity while Mrs Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti) is named chairperson, Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations. Lawan made the announcement at the close of plenary on Tuesday. In his closing remarks, Lawan thanked his colleagues for their hard work and consistency. He said…

Wednesday, 29 April 2020 04:56

FG rescues Nigerian woman advertised for sale by Lebanese

Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed that the woman offered for sale on Facebook by a Lebanese, Mr Wael Jerro, has been rescued. She said the victim, Busari Peace, was with the Nigerian Mission in Beirut, Lebanon. Jerro had advertised the victim with her Nigerian passport on a Facebook page, ‘Buy and Sell in Lebanon’. He put a price tag of $1,000 on the 30-year-old Ibadan, Oyo State indigene. Dabiri-Erewa later announced arrest of the suspect by Lebanese government, whom she said also condemned the act. She assured that Busari would be rescued. In a tweet…

Tuesday, 28 April 2020 05:02

Buhari imposes curfew nationwide, extends lockdown in Lagos, Ogun, FCT

President Muhammadu Buhari has declared an overnight curfew from 8pm to 6am nationwide as part of efforts to curtail spread of Covid-19. He has also extended the lockdown he ordered in FCT, Lagos and Ogun States for another one week. Buhari disclosed this in a nationwide broadcast on Monday. He said, “In line with the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the various Federal Government committees that have reviewed socio-economic matters and the Nigeria Governors Forum, I have approved a phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos and Ogun States effective from Monday, 4th May,…

Tuesday, 28 April 2020 05:01

FG orders two-week lockdown of Kano to combat covid-19

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a total lockdown in Kano State as the state continues to battle coronavirus and what the state officials termed ‘strange deaths’. “I have directed the enforcement of a total lockdown for a period of two weeks effective immediately,” Buhari said in a national broadcast on Monday. “The Federal Government shall deploy all the necessary human, material and technical resources to support the State in controlling and containing the pandemic and preventing the risk of further spread to neighbouring States.” Kano state has become the epicenter of the pandemic in northern Nigeria, with 77 confirmed coronavirus…

Tuesday, 28 April 2020 05:00

Fire razes NNPC station, destroys stores, cars in Lagos

Fire yesterday burnt Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) filling station on Yaya Abato Street in Ogba, Lagos State. The fire, which burnt a petroleum tanker and over 10 vehicles, also affected one-storey building housing Maranada Stores, Springboard Kiddies Collections and Potent Medicals. The filling station has a cooking gas shop closeby and surrounded by residential homes and shops. A witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the fire was caused by electrical fault while a tanker was discharging diesel. According him, the fire may have been put out if the fire-fighter tanks had come with enough water.…

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Tuesday, 28 April 2020 04:59

Almajiris will overwhelm us in the future, SGF warns

Mr Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), says almajiris would become an army to deal with in future if they are not taken care of now. Almajiris are kids, especially in the northern states, who leave their homes in search of Islamic knowledge elsewhere. As efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19, governors of northern states had banned the almajiri system, and Kano has started returning almajiris to their home states. At a press briefing on Monday, Mustapha who is the chairman of the presidential task force on Covid-19, said the governors decision was in the…

Tuesday, 28 April 2020 04:58

Angry youths protest against lockdown, attack police in Lagos

Fifty-one suspects were arrested after some protesters attacked five policemen in Lagos state on Monday. The protest held in Eleko community, Ibeju-Lekki local government area of the state. Some youth had protested against the shut down of a construction site in the area following the lockdown ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari. In an interview with journalists, Mr Bala Elkana, spokesman of the state police command, said the protesters are workers of a construction site in the Lekki Free Trade zone. He said they were expressing annoyance over their inability to work as a result of the lockdown. Elkana said the…

Monday, 27 April 2020 05:40

Buhari gets briefings from Health Minister, NCDC as Nigerians await decision on lockdown

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday received briefing from Mr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, and Mr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on the latest development on the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The president hosted the duo on the eve of the expiration of the lockdown extension in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja. Buhari had locked down the two states and the nation’s capital on March 30, and he later extended the movement restriction by two weeks. While some health workers have called for further extension of the lockdown, some individuals and groups asked the president to…

Monday, 27 April 2020 05:37

Reps to resume plenary amid lockdown

House of Representatives has announced its decision to reconvene and resume plenary on Tuesday. This was contained in a statement by the clerk, Mr Patrick Giwa, to all members. The House had in March suspended plenary for two weeks in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease. It later extended the suspension to tally with the lockdown in FCT. “This is to inform all Members of the House of Representatives that the House will now resume plenary session on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, at 10am.” “Members are advised to take note of the new date of resumption, please,”…

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