Author: Olukayode Oke

The Federal Government of Nigeria on Monday chided the United Kingdom and the United States over their travel advisories in late 2022. The government said more than three months after their embassies warned nationals against movement/presence in Abuja, their city remained safe. Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed spoke on Monday in Abuja at the 25th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s (PMB) Scorecard Series. The Minister of Defence, Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd.) presented the scorecard of his ministry in the last seven years. Mohammed recalled how the advisories created panic and tension the country, causing some foreigners to leave the…

The death toll from a catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria climbed above 35,000 on Monday, with search and rescue teams starting to wind down their work. Officials and medics said 31,643 people had died in Turkey and 3,581 in Syria from last Monday’s 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the confirmed total to 35,224. Researchers claim that at the the end of the rescue exercise about 200,000 people will still be missing as they would be deep beneath the rubbles of collasped buildings.

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has urged Nigerians to embrace alternative payment channels like the eNaira and internet banking in the face of the cashless policy. This is against the backdrop of challenges being faced by Nigerians sequel to the naira redesign and the naira swap. The Director, Corporate Communications Department of the CBN, Mr. Osita Nwanusobi, while speaking at the just concluded 44th Kaduna International Trade Fair, explained that the new naira policy is not in any way targeted at any individual as being insinuated in the public domain. Speaking on the theme, “Promoting Value Addition for Economic…

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the Federal Government and the United Nations World Tourism Organization, (UNWTO) are currently working with some private sector players to establish a Tourism Academy in Lagos. The Minister disclosed this in Lagos on Friday at the graduation of the first set of trainees of the Terra Kulture-owned Terra Academy For the Arts, (TAFTA), saying the Academy will provide accessible vocational and managerial transformative training for the tourism and hospitality sector. According to Segun Adeyemi, Senior Assistance to the Minister on Media in a statement in Abuja on Friday said; “We…

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says it requires no fewer than 13,000 security personnel for the general elections in Enugu State. Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in the state, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Enugu. NAN reports that INEC has fixed Saturday, February 25, for Presidential and National Assembly elections and March 11, for Governorship and State Assembly elections. Chukwu said that the Inter-agency Consultation Committee on Election Security was working to mobilise and deploy the required number of security personnel to ensure hitch-free elections in the state. He said…

The Department of State Services, DSS, has invited a spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential campaign council, Femi Fani-Kayode over allegations of a coup plot ahead of the February election. Fani-Kayode confirmed the invitation by the DSS in a statement on Monday, stating that he would be honouring the invitation this morning, Monday. FFK, a former Minister of Aviation had claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate and top military generals had a secret meeting last week. He alleged that the meeting may be part of an agenda to provoke a coup d’etat and establish a new and…

The Federal Government has announced plans to establish reliable database to determine appropriate tariff methodology for transportation and bulk storage of crude oil and natural gas in the country. The Authority Chief Executive (ACE), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed stated this in a statement by Kimchi Apollo, General Manager, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, on Sunday in Abuja. According to the statement, Ahmed revealed this at the 2022 Petroleum Liquid Inventory Reconciliation Exercise held from Feb. 6 to Feb. 10, in Lagos. He said the exercise involved the NMDPRA, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Crude Oil and…

The Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai has again come hard on the presidency, saying he no longer believes in the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. Recall that sequel to the recent cash policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the governor had raised the alarm that some elements in the presidency were working against the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu. The governor, who vowed that those in Tinubu’s camp would defeat the cabals, said they would be unmasked in due time. Speaking with Channels TV last week, El-Rufai alleged that some persons in the presidency who backed another aspirant…

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has revealed that the assailants who kidnapped the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Chief Ekpe Ogbu have been arrested. Ortom said this on Sunday during a Thanksgiving Mass in honour of the Commissioner held at St. Paul’s Catholic Parish, Utonkon in Ado local government area of the State. The governor, who lamented the security issues in the State, charged the people of Benue South senatorial district to be vigilant and on the alert to security issues within their area. Ogbu was kidnapped on December 4th, 2022, by armed men suspected to be Fulani terrorists,…

The Lagos State Government has ordered the temporary closure of Chrisland School, located at Opebi-Ikeja, in the sequel to the reported death of a student of the School, Whitney Adeniran. The order was contained in a statement by the State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo on Sunday. Adefisayo said the closure was ordered pending the outcome of a full investigation into the unfortunate incident. According to her, “On behalf of the State Ministry of Education, we commiserate with Mr. and Mrs. Adeniran, parents of Whitney, over the death of their daughter. We also note the impact of this unfortunate…

Nigerian champions, Rivers United started their group stage campaign in the CAF Confederation Cup on a disappointing note going down to a 3-0 defeat to Diable Noirs of Congo on Sunday. The Pride of Rivers struggled from the blast of the whistle and went behind on 30 minutes when Carla Wunda blasted home for the hosts. Diable Noirs doubled their advantage two minutes later courtesy of a fine strike from Jaures Ngombe. Domi Massoumou scored the hosts’ third goal from the spot in the 37th minute. Rivers United missed the chance to reduce the deficit when Ebube Duru failed to…

Premier League club, Southampton, on Sunday, sacked their manager, Nathan Jones. Southampton also sacked First Team Coaches, Chris Cohen and Alan Sheeha. The English club, however, announced that First Team Lead Coach Rubén Sellés would lead Southampton for their next Premier League tie against Chelsea. Southampton disclosed this in a statement via its website. Jones’ sack comes less than 24 hours after their 2-1 defeat to Wolves on Saturday. The statement read, “Southampton Football Club can confirm it has parted company with Men’s First Team Manager Nathan Jones. “First Team Coaches Chris Cohen and Alan Sheehan have also left the…