The Federal Government funded 422 persons to the ongoing COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said. The minister made this known in a statement on Monday following a controversy trailing 1,411 Nigerian registered delegates at the summit. President Bola Tinubu had on November 29, 2023, departed Abuja for Dubai for the summit expected to end on December 12, 2023. Controversy has since surrounded the number of Nigerian delegates at the summit which ranked that of China, with many Nigerians on social media berating the government for…
Author: Alexander
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is set to re-launch his political career following his defeat in the February presidential election and the subsequent dismissal of his petitions by the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) and the Supreme Court. Atiku, who is strongly believed to be warming up already for the 2027 race, is currently plotting to retain his grip on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But he and his loyalists are uncomfortable with the party’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Iliya Damagum. They accuse Damagum of being loyal to the G-5 axis of the party led by the Minister of Federal Capital…
With the country’s inflation level on a continuous rise, Abia State Governor Alex Otti is engaging stakeholders to improve the minimum wage for state workers to align with Nigeria’s present economic realities. “We do understand that things are a bit more difficult for the people. We are engaging with stakeholders to see how we can improve the pay of civil servants in line with the present economic realities: where exchange rates have converged upwards, fuel subsidy has been removed and inflation is heading to 30%,” Otti said during December’s monthly media chat at the Government House, Umuahia on Friday. He…
An Appeal Court sitting in Lagos State has upheld the election of Governor Alex Otti in the March 18 governorship poll in the state, stating that the exercise conformed with the provisions of the Electoral Act. It dismissed the appeals brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and their governorship candidates against Otti’s victory, saying the petitions lacked merit. According to the appellate court, issues of political party membership, as put forward by the appellants, is a pre-election matter, which falls within the jurisdiction of the political party. The court in its Saturday judgment…
Nigeria will continue to engage with the government of Niger Republic to ensure the release of the country’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar has said. Bazoum has not been released since the junta struck in the West African country earlier in the year. But Tuggar said Nigeria, which plays a critical role in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc, won’t relent on pressing for Bazoum’s freedom. Speaking to Channels Television on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Conference in Dubai, the Minister said Nigeria is not under any pressure to…
Israel and Hamas brushed off international calls to renew an expired truce Saturday as air strikes pounded militant targets in Gaza and Palestinian groups launched volleys of rockets. Smoke again clouded the sky over the north of the Palestinian territory, whose Hamas government said 240 people had been killed since a pause in hostilities expired early Friday and combat resumed. In Israel, the military’s Home Front Command reported 40 missile alerts in the south and centre of the country, and the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced “rocket barrages” against multiple Israeli cities and towns including Tel Aviv. “Over…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it will freeze accounts without a Bank Verification Number (BVN) or National Identification Number (NIN) from April 2024. This is according to a Friday circular by the apex bank which instructed banks to place a “Post no Debit” restriction – which prevents customers from making withdrawals, transfers, or any other debits “for all existing Tier-1 accounts/wallets without BVN or NIN”. “Effective immediately, any unfunded account/wallet shall be placed on ‘Post No Debit or Credit’ until the new process is satisfied. Effective March 1, 2024, all funded accounts or wallets shall be placed on…
Family members of Taiwo Oyekanmi, a slain Director of Finance in the office of Governor Dapo Abiodun, have demanded justice over the untimely death of their loved one. The family members made this known on Thursday when the governor paid them a condolence visit. Oyekanmi was murdered on Wednesday by armed robbers in the Kuto area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while on official assignment. During the condolence visit, the governor said the government is taking responsibility for all that happened and also responsibility for the family’s welfare and wellbeing. The governor, however, assured the family and people of the state…
No fewer than 50 suspected bandits terrorising communities across the Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State in what is a breakthrough in the fight against banditry. While the feat was achieved on Tuesday in the North-East state, the spokesman of the Taraba State Police Command Abdullahi Usman told Channels Television on Thursday that the bandits were killed by police operatives in collaboration with other security agencies. He said the coordinated operation followed an outcry by locals which led to the ambush and killing of the bandits. “Taraba State Police Command received information that some unknown gunmen suspected to be…
An Ondo State High Court, sitting in Akure, has stopped Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu from inaugurating newly appointed members of the interim management committee for the 18 local government areas and the 33 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). The appointed Interim Management Committee for the council and the LCDAs have been cleared by the Ondo State House of Assembly. However, the Peoples Democratic Party filed an interim Injunction restraining the defendants from inaugurating the committee. Defendants in the suit were Governor Akeredolu, the speaker of the Ondo Assembly, and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state. The PDP had…