Cross River State Government has collaborated with a French Coffee Firm, JR Farms, to develop and strengthen its coffee value chain. Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Johnsen Ebokpo, in a statement, said that the State Government is distributing 1 million high-yielding Arabica and Robusta coffee species at a subsidized rate of N1,000 per seedling. Ebokpo said already a team of 56 enumerators is currently being trained to profile prospective farmers and organize them into cooperatives. The state official said the enumeration exercise will commence from Monday, May 26, to June 9, 2025. The initiative, according to Ebokpo, “is to…
Author: Admin
Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has slammed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for demanding ₦700,000 from shop owners to reopen their businesses at the Onitsha Head Bridge Market. Obi’s reaction follows a viral video by social media commentator VeryDarkMan (VDM), who accused NAFDAC of demanding the hefty sum from traders whose shop was sealed during recent enforcement operations. NAFDAC did not directly address this specific claim but noted that traders who complied with regulatory requirements have been permitted to resume business, with over 2,500 traders in 3,500 shops operational since March 9,…
As Nigeria celebrates the 2025 Children’s Day, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS has called on all stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment to safeguarding the health and future of Nigerian children by strengthening efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. A statement signed by the Director General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori on Tuesday noted that every child deserves a healthy start to life. Ilori said, despite significant progress, thousands of children in Nigeria are still born with HIV each year – a preventable tragedy. According to her, Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV services remain one of…
Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday sealed off the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja over alleged non-payment of ground rent, a move that has raised significant political concerns given its timing ahead of key party meetings. The enforcement action took place at approximately 2:05 p.m. at the party’s Wuse Zone 5 headquarters. According to eyewitness accounts, FCTA officials arrived unannounced, requested to speak with the management, and proceeded to seal the premises before any formal communication could take place. The sealing sparked mild protests from party staff and loyalists, leading to…
The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, May 23, 2025, arraigned seven persons for defrauding Wema Bank Plc to the tune of N8.5billion. The seven include three employees of a first-generation bank — Samuel Ihechukwu, Fabian Chizaram, and Kingsley Kelechi Ejim— and four other accomplices Hanna Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Chukwuka Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe. They were all arraigned before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos. According to the charges, they were accused of an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence, involving…
The Police Command in Akwa Ibom said it has arrested four suspected criminals in Udi Street in Uyo and recovered numerous stolen items. DSP Timfon John, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, said this in a statement in Uyo on Monday. John said that the suspects were arrested based on credible intelligence and in compliance with the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare’s directive. She said that an operation that was inaugurated last Friday at exactly 1:15 am led to the arrest of the four suspects. “In a significant intelligence-led operation, operatives of the command raided a location in Udi Street,…
NAFDAC warns against VDM’s inciting videoThe National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has defended its recent enforcement operations at Onitsha Bridge Head Market, Anambra State, following criticism circulating on social media. A viral video by controversial influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, alleged that NAFDAC demanded N700,000 from each shop owner as a condition to reopen their shops after many were shut down. NAFDAC did not directly address this specific claim but emphasised that traders who complied with regulatory requirements have been permitted to resume business, with over 2,500 traders in 3,500 shops operational since March…
That Gift of Prado Jeeps for Lawmakers! By Shadrach Okon Inspite of the stubborn desire to protect myself from scrutinizing what transpires daily in the political landscape of Akwa Ibom State, inspite of the periodic desire to abandon the thought of speaking for the helpless Akwa Ibomites erking existence in the streets with mirthless countenance—the contortion of rage and disgust on their faces–I am compelled to pen down this article as our public office holders continue to make their eccentricities in public office more pronounced. With the respect I have for Governor Umo Eno, as a citizen of Nigeria to…
Suspended Senator representing Kogi Centre in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has expressed her readiness to counter the Federal Government’s criminal suit against her with what she described as “factual and statutory defences.” This comes after her legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa, confirmed on Friday that it had formally received the summons filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court. The suit, marked CR/297/25, was instituted by the Federal Government on May 16, 2025, over comments made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during a live appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, aired on April 3.…
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has announced a scheduled shutdown of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) for planned maintenance, beginning on May 24, 2025. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Femi Soneye, explained that the shutdown is part of a broader sustainability assessment to enhance the facility’s performance. “The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) wishes to inform the general public that the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) will undergo a planned maintenance shutdown. “This scheduled maintenance and sustainability assessment will commence on May 24, 2025. “We are working closely…