Author: Editor Francis

As States continue to hold elections to elect Local government chairmen and councillors, the Senate, after background checks on the already concluded LGAs elections in some parts of the country, has concluded on Thursday in Abuja, that it strongly condemned the process, describing them as fraud and rape of democracy. It consequently vowed to do the needful about the charade for survival of democracy in Nigeria through required constitution amendments. Condemnation of local government elections by the Senate followed a motion sponsored by the Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), on local government election conducted…

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It has now become a necessity to be careful who you permit to use your phone with your SIM, as whatever is done with your SIM can be easily known. This is because, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has completed the implementation of the federal government’s policy to link all phone numbers in the country to a national identification number (NIN). At the the 2024 annual corporate governance conference held in Lagos on Thursday, Aminu Maida, the executive vice-chairman (EVC), of the NCC, made this statement. Maida acknowledged bottlenecks faced by Nigerians during the exercise, while stressing the significance of…

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The Department of State is taking action today to promote accountability for human rights violations committed in Uganda by designating four members of the Uganda Police Force (UPF), due to their involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely torture, cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment. These individuals are Bob Kagarura, the then-Wamala Regional Police Commander of the UPF; Alex Mwine, then-District Police Commander for the Mitanya District of the UPF; Elly Womanya, then-Senior Commissioner within the UPF and Deputy Director of the UPF’s Criminal Investigations Division in charge of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU); and Hamdani Twesigye, then-Deputy Inspector…

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Ethiopia’s parliament has approved the appointment of a new president to replace the country’s first female head of state, Sahle-Work Zewde. Taye Astike Selassie, foreign minister since February, has taken up the largely ceremonial role. In Ethiopia, political power lies with the prime minister – currently Abiy Ahmed. Sahle-Work had reportedly fallen out with Abiy in recent years. The prime minister’s backing of her initial appointment in 2018 was hailed as a breakthrough for gender equality in Ethiopian politics. On Saturday, Sahle-Work posted a brief and somewhat cryptic message on X, external, implying she was unhappy as a result of…

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Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is set to swear in the newly elected local government council chairmen today, Sunday, October 6, 2024 The ceremony will take place at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt, at 4 pm. This was announced in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, dated October 6, 2024, and made available . The statement requested that the newly elected chairmen, along with one guest each, be seated by 3:30 pm. The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), chaired by Justice Adolphus Enebeli (retd.), declared 22 candidates from the Action…

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President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his commitment to repositioning the country and creating wealth for generations. The president said on Saturday that his focus was not on the 2027 elections but on making Nigeria great for generations. Mr Tinubu spoke at the All Progressives Congress (APC) South-West Zone Assembly at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos State. The South-West Governors’ Forum chairman and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu hosted the event. The president, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, said he was pained by the hardship in the country but gave the assurance that Nigeria would get…

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The political crisis in Rivers State shows no signs of abating following the recent local government elections conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), which have sparked further turmoil in the state. Despite opposition from loyalists of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the election proceeded on Saturday under the directive of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Wike’s supporters within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had vowed to boycott the polls, citing a recent Federal High Court ruling in Abuja. Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High…

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has condemned the explosion at its secretariat on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, on Saturday morning, describing the incident as an attack on the party . The former caretaker committee chairman of the APC in the state, Chief Tony Okocha, expressed his concerns while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt. The explosion, suspected to be caused by dynamite, occurred in the early hours of the day, damaging the party’s office and a neighboring building. The blast pulled down one of the gates, shattered windows, and caused destruction to doors and other property. Okocha revealed…

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The Federal Government has announced that it has begun preparations to evacuate Nigerian nationals from Lebanon due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. This was disclosed by Eche Abu-Obe, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on Friday in Abuja. He confirmed that the government is taking measures to ensure the safety and protection of Nigerians residing in Lebanon. The ministry stated, “In response to the worsening situation in Lebanon due to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, the Nigerian government has initiated plans to evacuate Nigerians from Lebanon back to Nigeria. The Embassy of Nigeria in Lebanon…

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The Federal Government has established a committee to address the ongoing taxation and operational disputes between the Osun State Government and Segilola Resources Operating Limited (SROL), a subsidiary of Thor Explorations Limited.  This was announced by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori. Alake explained that the committee aims to engage both parties in order to resolve the conflict and restore industrial harmony. The dispute escalated on September 30 when the Osun State Government sealed the premises of SROL, following a court order…

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The World Health Organisation has approved Cecolin®, a human papillomavirus vaccine for use in a single-dose schedule. This is contained in a statement by WHO on Friday. The WHO said that the decision was made based on new data on the product that fulfilled the criteria set out in the WHO’s 2022 recommendations for alternative, off-label use of HPV vaccines in single-dose schedules. According to it, this important milestone will contribute to improving the sustainable supply of HPV vaccines allowing more girls to be reached with the vaccines that prevent cervical cancer. WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said that unlike…

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Nigeria’s currency, the naira, experienced a significant depreciation, losing N90.43 of its value against the U.S. dollar within the past week, despite a rise in liquidity in the official foreign exchange (FX) market. By the close of trading on Friday, the dollar was quoted at N1,631.21, marking a 5.54 percent drop from the previous week’s rate of N1,540.78 at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM), according to data from FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited. However, on a daily basis, the naira showed signs of recovery, appreciating by 1.72 percent, or N28.05, as the dollar dropped from N1,659.26 on Thursday to…

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