News

Thursday, 15 March 2018 05:17

Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats over spy poisoning

Relations between Britain and Russia plunged Wednesday to a chilly level not seen since the Cold War as Prime Minister Theresa May expelled 23 diplomats, severed high-level contacts and vowed both open and covert action against Kremlin meddling after the poisoning of a former spy. Russia said it would respond soon to what it called Britain's "crude" and "hostile" actions.While May pledged to disrupt Russian espionage and "hostile state activity," she gave few details about how hard Britain would hit Russian politicians and oligarchs where it really hurts - in their wallets. "Expelling diplomats is a kind of a standard…

Thursday, 15 March 2018 05:14

Nigeria Immigration generates N38.5 billion, $29.9 million in 2017 – Official

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) generated a total revenue of N38.532 billion and $29.9 million in 2017. Comptroller-General of NIS, Mr Muhammad Babandede, made this known at an operational review meeting with zonal coordinators and state controllers of the agency in Abuja on Wednesday. Babandede also said that the NIS made a total payment of N38.531 billion in the year under review, leaving a surplus of one million naira. He said that the dollar component ($29.9 million) was deposited into the Federation Account in line with financial regulations. Giving a breakdown of the funds generated, he said N14 billion was generated…

Thursday, 15 March 2018 05:12

Expert raises alarm over Nigeria's low soil fertility

Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan President, Soil Science Society of Nigeria (SSSN), Mr Victor Chude, has raised an alarm on Nigeria's soils, saying they are very low in fertility compared to what is obtainable in other parts of the world. Chude while speaking at the opening of 42nd annual conference of SSSN with the theme, "Sustainable Management of Soil and Water Resources for Food Security, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation", held at Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, said this is responsible for high usage of fertilizer especially in northern part of the country. He maintained that all efforts must…

Wednesday, 14 March 2018 04:37

Buhari sacks Boroh, names replacement for Amnesty Programme

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday sacked Mr Paul Boroh as Coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme and replaced him with Mr Charles Dokubo. A statement by Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, said Dokubo is currently Director of Research and Studies at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). Adesina who said Dokubo obtained PhD in Strategic Studies from University of Bradford, United Kingdom, added that the academic hailed from Abonema, Akuku-Toru Local Government of Rivers State. He also said the president had instructed National Security Adviser (NSA) to carry out a thorough investigation into the…

Wednesday, 14 March 2018 04:32

EU to FG: Bring perpetrators of herder-farmer violence to justice

European Union has charged the Federal Government to bring perpetrators of the recurrent clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the country to justice. According to EU in a statement on Tuesday by its Heads of Mission in Nigeria, this is the necessary first step towards creating peace in the country. The clashes have spread across the country and resulted in hundreds of deaths in states including Benue, Taraba and Kaduna but with no one yet prosecuted by the authorities for their roles. EU said it was alarmed by “the escalating and disturbing killings” and called for urgent measures that would…

Wednesday, 14 March 2018 04:28

Reps lift suspension on Abdulmumin Jibrin

House of Representatives has lifted a suspension it placed on Mr Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the House from Kano. This followed a letter signed by Jibrin, apologising to the House. Although the letter wasn’t fully read before the parliament, the speaker paraphrased it by saying he has apologised and met all the conditions given to him. “He has fulfilled all the conditions by writing this letter and so he is free to resume his legislative duties whenever he wants, if he so wishes” Jibrin was suspended in 2017 for a period of 180 legislative days for ‘unfolding’ budget padding…

Wednesday, 14 March 2018 04:20

Lawyers, activists march against ‘obnoxious’ Lagos taxes

Dozens of lawyers and civil society activists marched in Lagos, Tuesday, in protest of some new tax regimes introduced by the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode government. The protesters said the taxes are “anti-people.” “The tax increments by Ambode would cause hyperinflation, insecurity, encourage crime and hunger,” said Mr Adesina Ogunlana, chairman of Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, during the protest. The protest came after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to the state government by the lawyers’ body to reverse the increments. “If the governor refuses‎ to stop and reverse all tax increments after our protest, we will go to…

Tuesday, 13 March 2018 04:12

Empty streets, protests as Buhari visits Benue

Protests, empty streets and distraught residents — Benue State was in no holiday mood yesterday for the President. President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit was to condole with the people over killings by herdsmen and reassure them that the administration shared in their grief. The President met with leaders of thought, traditional rulers, stakeholders and government officials at Peoples House, Government House, before returning to Abuja. Family members of some of those killed in the New Year’s Day attacks in which 73 people died staged a peaceful protest in front of the meeting venue. The protesters, numbering about 50, carried placards, lamenting…

Tuesday, 13 March 2018 04:11

We’re negotiating Dapchi, Chibok girls’ rescue - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said the desire of the Federal Government was to have schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram sect from Chibok and Dapchi back alive. He said that was why his administration chose negotiation, rather than military option, to secure their release. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving United States Secretary of State, Mr Rex Tillerson, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Adesina quoted the President as saying that Nigeria was working in concert with international organisations and negotiators, to ensure that the girls…

Tuesday, 13 March 2018 04:04

Why I revealed how much we earn as senators – Shehu Sani

Mr Shehu Sani, the senator who revealed that he and his colleagues receive N13.5 million each as running cost monthly, has explained why he exposed his colleagues. Sani in an interview with BBC said the payment is a ‘moral issue.’ “I decided to burst it open. It was a moral issue,” he said. He said that the National Assembly is being run with little accountability about how the money is spent. He wants the illegal payment to be scrapped so that the legislative arm of government will be attractive only to people who can contribute ideas. “The National Assembly is…

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Tuesday, 13 March 2018 04:02

INEC threatens to burn unclaimed PVCs

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ondo State has said it may burn unclaimed Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before the 2019 election. Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Rufus Akeju, gave the hint on Monday in Akure while addressing journalists. Akeju was REC in Osun before he was posted to Ondo. He has assumed duties in January. He said despite attempts to sensitise voters to come forward to pick their cards, about 370,464 cards were ye to be claimed by their owners. “The commission is making efforts almost on daily basis for voters to get their PVCs and if eventually some…

Tuesday, 13 March 2018 04:00

Niger govt confirms attack on Gov

After initially denying that it did not happen, Niger state government has finally confirmed that Governor Abubakar Sani Bello was booed and stoned in Bida last week. The incident occurred when the governor, accompanied by Etsu Nupe, Mr Yahaya Abubakar, and other dignitaries were on a sympathy visit to victims of Bida burnt market. The government in a statement issued by Commissioner for Information, Mr Danjuma Salau, confirmed the incident, while describing it "as unfortunate". The government also blamed the incident on those it called "misguided youths and miscreants". “The misbehavior exhibited by some misguided, ill-informed, financially induced, politically, motivated…

Tuesday, 13 March 2018 03:57

False news 70 percent more likely to spread on Twitter - Study

False news stories spread much more quickly and widely on Twitter than truthful ones, an imbalance driven more by people than automated "bot" accounts, researchers said on Thursday. A study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab examining about 126,000 stories shared by some 3 million people on Twitter from 2006 to 2017 found that false news was about 70 percent more likely to be retweeted by people than true news. The study, published in the journal Science, was one of the most comprehensive efforts to date to assess the dynamics behind how false news circulates on…

Monday, 12 March 2018 02:19

Senate confirms N13.5m monthly running cost to each member, says payment not unusual

Senate has formally confirmed that each of its members receives N13.5 million monthly as running cost. A senator, Mr Shehu Sani, reported the amount, which was hitherto kept from the public. The money is illegal as it is not approved by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). It is also separate from the salaries and allowances approved by RMAFC which, Sani says, totals about N750,000 monthly. Senate spokesman, Mr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the revelation by Sani that senators receive N13.5 million monthly as “running cost” was nothing new. Abdullahi in a statement on Sunday noted that details of…

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