Author: Olukayode Oke

The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has commended members and leaders of the House of Representatives for rejecting yet another attempt to push through a bill to decriminalise cannabis cultivation, sale and use in Nigeria on the floor of the Green Chamber of the National Assembly on Thursday, 23rd March. Responding to the development at the weekend, the NDLEA boss said the decision by a majority of the lawmakers to reject the bill would further strengthen the gains so far made in the renewed war against drug abuse and trafficking…

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will meet today (Tuesday) to decide on the proposed strike over the scarcity of naira notes. The meeting is expected to involve the National Executive Committee (NEC) of NLC, which will bring members from states and local government areas to give reports on the availability of cash for Nigerians. The meeting is also expected to produce a decision on whether or not the labour centre will go ahead with its threatened strike tomorrow. Meanwhile, as part of efforts to mitigate a looming strike announced by the leadership of the NLC, the Minister of Labour…

With the naira standing below par against the dollar and other foreign currencies, the Monetary Policy Rate, MPR, hike and increasing inflation rates, the nation’s economic outlook for the second quarter looks bleak. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, naira to dollar stands at 460.48 (Selling official rate); however, at the parallel market, the naira is N750 to a Dollar as of Monday. While the posture of Nigeria’s foreign exchange market has been a source of concern to investors in Nigeria, the hike in the Monetary Policy Rate to 18 per cent from 17.5 per cent last month,…

Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Tinubu, has cancelled the annual colloquium to mark his birthday this year. Instead, Tinubu who turns 71 years on Wednesday, opted for special prayers and a thanksgiving service. The former Lagos Governor usually marks his birthday celebrations with a colloquium. In a statement on Monday, a media aide to Tinubu, Tunde Rahman, noted that prayers would be held in Lagos and other parts of the country. The special prayers will be held at the central mosques in each of the five divisions in the state. Also to receive prayers among others are President Muhammadu Buhari and First…

The Naira depreciated against the dollar, exchanging N461.50 at the investors’ and exporters’ window on Monday. The rate represented a decrease of 0.04 per cent when compared to the N461.33 for which it exchanged to the dollar before the close of business on March 24. The open indicative rate closed at N461.75 against the dollar on Monday. An exchange rate of N462.42 against the dollar was the highest rate documented within Monday’s trading before it settled at N461.50. The Naira sold for as low as N460 to the dollar within Monday’s trading. A total of 101.77million dollars was traded at…

As the jostle for leadership positions in the 10th session of the National Assembly hots up, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello, yesterday, backed the quest of the North Central zone to produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Governors Akeredolu and Bello spoke separately when they received the current deputy speaker of the Lower Chamber, Ahmed Idris Wase who paid them courtesy calls. While Wase visited the Kogi governor in his Abuja residence over the weekend, the number two man of the Green Chamber was received in audience by Governor Akeredolu…

The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Guinea-Bissau 1-0 in the reverse fixture of their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture on Monday. The three-time African champions regained top spot in Group A following the win. Moses Simon scored the winning goal from the spot on the half hour mark. Jose Peseiro’s men started the game brightly and nearly took the lead in the third minute through Kenneth Omeruo but his goal bound header was pushed away for a corner-kick by goalkeeper Jonas Mendes. The hosts responded with a chance of their own two minutes later. Momo Balde, who scored…

Farmers in Ido-Ekiti in Ido-Osi Local Government Area (LGA) on Monday appealed to the State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, to enforce the anti-grazing law against invaders of their farms. The Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Ido-Ekiti chapter, Mr Oluropo Dada, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ido-Ekiti. Dada said the incessant invasion of their farms by suspected local cattle herdsmen had become a major problem for farmers in the community. He noted that on Wednesday, one of the big farms of a member of the association, was destroyed by cows which…

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have arrested over 700 persons for violation of electoral laws during the 2023 general elections. Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba disclosed this on Monday during a meeting with Commissioners of Police from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, as well as other senior officers. According to the IGP, the exact figure of those arrested currently stands at 781. Giving more details regarding the arrest, IGP Alkali Baba said 185 cases of electoral infractions were recorded during the presidential election with 203 arrests made. For the Governorship and State…

Manager Antonio Conte has left Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent after 16 months in charge. Conte called the Spurs players “selfish” and criticised the club’s culture in a remarkable news conference after their recent draw at Southampton. Tottenham are fourth in the top flight but are out of all cup competitions. Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini will step up as head coach for the rest of the season, with former midfielder Ryan Mason his deputy. “We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place,” chairman Daniel Levy said. “We all need to…

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has ranked Gombe as the state which provides the friendliest environment for business in Nigeria. This is contained in the council’s 2023 Subnational Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) report. This is the second time Gombe will clinch the top spot. The state had emerged the overall best when PEBEC released its inaugural EoDB report in March 2021. According to the latest PEBEC report, Gombe scored 7.15 to emerge as the number one state in Nigeria where it is mostly easy to do business while Jigawa state got a weighted score of 6.88 to…

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) says the total bridge in the Apapa area of Lagos has been closed to pave way for repair and maintenance works.  The bridge is said to be at the at the Mobil road junction inward Apapa. In a statement on Sunday, the NPA said the federal ministry of works and housing closed the road at about 11:35 am on Saturday for road maintenance works.  The NPA said the road closure will remain for two months and a half, adding that relevant security agencies are on ground to manage the traffic situation in the affected areas.  Given…