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Monday, 11 March 2024 04:40

Blackout in Abuja yet again as vandals bring down transmission lines

Residents of Abuja are currently witnessing another bout of darkness as the Shiroro-Katampe 330kV transmission line has been vandalized. The development comes less than two weeks after the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announced that vandals had hit a transmission line. In a statement on Sunday, TCN said the new vandalism will affect electricity customers under the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company on 33kV feeders from Central Transmission Station (TS) (FDRS1-8), Katampe1 (LifeCamp Gwarimpa, Jabi, Wuse 2 and 9mobile feeders. Katampe2(Maitama,Jahi and Mpape feeders). Also to be affected are Kubwa TS (Kubwa, Deidei, NIPP, Bwari Dawaki and Dam feeders). GIS(D1 and…

Monday, 11 March 2024 04:40

Ramadan fasting commences today - Sultan

Muhammad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto, has announced the sighting of the crescent moon for the commencement of Ramadan fasting. In a broadcast on Sunday, the Sultan, who is also the president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), said Monday marks the beginning of Ramadan fasting for Muslims in the country. “Today, Sunday, the 29th day of Sha’aban 1445 after the hijra which is equivalent to 10th March 2024, marks the end of Sha’aban 1445 after hijrah, with the reports of moon sightings that we have received from Muslim leaders and organisations across the country which we duly accepted,”…

Sunday, 10 March 2024 04:55

Another 2024 budget with extra N3trn was ‘passed underground which we didn’t know’, Senator blows the whistle

Senator representing Bauchi central senatorial district, Abdul Ningi, has said there was another budget different from what was passed on the floor of the National Assembly. Ningi disclosed that some experts have been reviewing the budget and a report will be presented to President Bola Tinubu, to ascertain if he was in the know or not. Speaking as a guest during an interview with BBC on Saturday, the Senator disclosed that the Northern elite is not happy with this government as the North has been neglected. He said, “This is true (about the review of the government) for the past…

Sunday, 10 March 2024 04:54

31.5m Nigerians projected to suffer mass hunger from June onwards - Report

Cadre Harmonisé (CH) report says about 31.5 million Nigerians may experience food and nutrition crisis between June and August 2024. Cadre Hatmonisé is a food and nutrition insecurity study conducted by the ministry of agriculture and food security in collaboration with other partners including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The report also indicated that about 24.7 million people, including 14,000 IDPs in 26 states and the federal capital territory (FCT), are to experience food crisis between March and May 2024. “About 1.1 million people in Adamawa were expected to be in crisis or worse between June and…

Sunday, 10 March 2024 04:53

FG suspends Expatriate Employment Levy after widespread condemnation

The federal government has suspended the expatriate employment levy (EEL) — a week after President Bola Tinubu launched it. EEL, launched on February 28, was introduced by the federal government to close wage gaps between expatriates and the Nigerian labour force. The expatriate employment levy, which provides guidelines on the employment of Nigerians in foreign-owned companies, requires firms to pay levies for hiring expatriates. Since the introduction of the policy, stakeholders have raised concerns, saying it is harmful to the country’s drive for foreign direct investments (FDIs). According to ThisDay, on Saturday, the decision to suspend the implementation of the…

Friday, 08 March 2024 04:50

Another Nigeria Air Force plane crashes, third in 7 months

A Nigerian Air Force Super Mushshak trainer aircraft was involved in "a minor mishap" on Thursday, but the two pilots on board survived the crash, the Air Force said. The incident occurred at about 1335 GMT near a military airfield in the northern city of Kaduna as the plane was returning from a routine training flight, Air Force spokesperson Edward Gabkwet said in a statement. Nigeria Air Force authorities have ordered a preliminary investigation to determine the immediate cause of the crash, the statement said. No further details were provided. The crash follows a Nigerian Air Force MI-35P helicopter that…

Friday, 08 March 2024 04:49

FG inaugurates implementation committee of Oronsaye report with the following members, mandates

The federal government has inaugurated a 10-member committee on the implementation of the recommendations of the Oronsaye report. On February 26, President Bola Tinubu directed the full implementation of the Oronsaye report to “enhance efficiency in the federal service, and reduce the cost of governance”. According to a statement by Segun Imohiosen, director of information in the office of the secretary to the government of the federation, the committee was inaugurated by George Akume, the SGF, on behalf of the president. Akume noted that the implementation of the White Papers on the Oronsaye report is aimed at reducing the cost…

Wednesday, 06 March 2024 04:39

Manufacturers berate FG over hike in Expatriate Levy amid massive shutdown of manufacturing companies

Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has said that 767 manufacturers shut down operations while 335 became distressed in 2023. This came against the backdrop of exchange rate volatility, rising inflation and other economic challenges that have worsened the investment climate. MAN stated this in a statement in which it condemned the recently introduced Expatriate Employment Levy by the Federal Government. The association said it was struck with disbelief, seeing that the levy runs contrary to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the kernel of his Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform initiative. According to MAN, the unintended negative consequences on the…

Wednesday, 06 March 2024 04:37

Central Bank of Ghana suspended FX license of GTBank, First Bank. Both banks of Nigerian origin react

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) subsidiary in Ghana says it is working with relevant government agencies and customers in the country to resolve the trade-related issues in no time. On February 4, 2024, the Central Bank of Ghana suspended the foreign exchange (FX) trading licences of two Nigerian-owned banks over “fraudulent documentation” during operations. The suspension, which is to take effect on March 18, 2023, and last for one month, involves GTBank and First Bank of Nigeria (FBN). However, in a statement on Tuesday, GTBank assured customers that the suspension would not affect other services “We would like to assure all…

Tuesday, 05 March 2024 04:36

CBN’s rates hike will shrink Nigeria’s economy - Obaseki

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has criticised policies recently introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), saying they cannot support the economic growth of the country. The governor said the interest rates that are raised would hinder small business owners from getting loans to expand their businesses which are detrimental to the growth of the country. Obaseki made this known at an event organised by the Edo Zone of Bankers’ Committee in Benin City, the state capital. According to the governor, Nigeria needs not to worry over interest rates but to create an enabling atmosphere for Nigerians to produce…

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Tuesday, 05 March 2024 04:34

NBA drags IGP to court over ‘illegal’ vehicle certificate levy

Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law has sued the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over the issuance of the Central Motor Information System for vehicle owners across the country. The police had in December 2023, unveiled CMRIS as one of the means to help the police have essential details of vehicle owners in its database. However, according to the NBA-SPIDEL, obtaining the certificate from the Nigeria Police Force costs N6,000. In a letter dated January 29, the NBA-SPIDEL Chairman, John Aikpokpo-Martins, and Secretary, Funmi Adeogun, described the issuance of the certificate illegal and issued a…

Monday, 04 March 2024 04:45

Companies in Nigeria having expatriates on their payroll will pay the following levies, penalties for violations

Companies that breach the new Expatriate Employment Levy policy will pay N3m for each offence. The offences are not submitting EEL, not registering an employee, a corporate entity not renewing EEL within 30 days, and providing false information on EEL. The Expatriate Employment Levy is a financial contribution imposed on employers who hire foreign workers. The levy, which is mostly on the offshore earnings of expatriates working in Nigeria, aims to balance economic growth and workforce development by ensuring equitable contributions from expatriate employment. President Bola Tinubu launched the policy on February 28, 2024. He stated that the EEL would…

Monday, 04 March 2024 04:43

Hardship: Owner of looted Abuja warehouse unknown as NEMA disowns facility

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has declared that the warehouse looted in Abuja on Sunday did not belong to it. Residents broke into a storage facility in the Gwagwa area of Abuja on Sunday and looted stored food items. Residents of the area said youths broke into the warehouse located around the Tasha area of the community in the early hours of Sunday and looted bags of maize and other grains. “This is to clarify that the looted warehouse does not belong to NEMA. “However, the agency sympathises with owners of the looted facility,’’ NEMA’s spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, stated on…

Sunday, 03 March 2024 04:25

92m Nigerians have no access to electricity - FG

Federal Government, on Friday, declared that the number of Nigerians that lack access to electricity from the national grid has increased to about 92 million. It disclosed this at the closing ceremony of the 7th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja, as operators in the power sector called for partnerships in the deployment of solar power to bridge the country’s electricity gap. Nigeria generates and supplies between 3,000 and 4,000 megawatts of grid electricity to over 200 million citizens across the country, a development described as abysmally poor by experts and industry players. Speaking at the summit, the Minister of…

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