The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 125,928 out of 184,438 newly printed Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) have been collected in Edo State ahead of the upcoming governorship election on September 21. In a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja, Mr. Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, highlighted that the collection rate of 68.3% marks the highest recorded by INEC since the introduction of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) for off-cycle governorship elections in 2015. The PVC collection drive took place across all 192 wards in Edo State from August 22…
Author: Editor Francis
The founder and chief of Telegram, Pavel Durov, is set to learn Wednesday whether he will face charges and even be remanded in custody after his weekend arrest by French authorities over alleged violations at the messaging app. Durov, 39, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris late Saturday, and while the judicial authorities have repeatedly extended his initial period of detention, it can last a maximum of 96 hours. As part of a probe that was confidentially opened on July 8, Durov is being investigated on suspicion of 12 offences related to failing to curb extremist content on…
President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to visit the People’s Republic of China in early September, aiming to enhance economic collaboration and attract significant investments to Nigeria. This visit is viewed as a strategic effort to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations and explore key economic opportunities. The announcement was made during a briefing at the State House in Abuja, where Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, underscored the importance of the upcoming trip. According to Ngelale, President Tinubu will visit major Chinese companies, including Huawei Technologies and the China Rail and Construction Corporation…
The United States has announced over $64 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Sub-Saharan Africa. This announcement was made today in Dakar, Senegal, by Julieta Valls Noyes, the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. This funding is the latest in a series of U.S. commitments to the region, which, along with recent announcements from Under Secretary Uzra Zeya, Ambassador Jeffrey Prescott, and Ambassador Michael J. Adler, brings the total U.S. humanitarian aid for Sub-Saharan Africa to more than $3.8 billion in the Fiscal Year 2024. The United States remains the largest single humanitarian donor…
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has criticized the Federal Government’s decision to prohibit candidates under the age of 18 from taking the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examination Council (NECO) exams. This policy has, however, received support from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), as reported by The Punch. The new age policy, announced by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ programme, mandates that only students aged 18 and above will be allowed to sit for secondary school leaving examinations. This policy impacts the…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated its commitment to supporting the Lagos State Government in its efforts to improve the quality of healthcare in the state. This was disclosed by WHO Country Representative, Dr. Walter Mulombo, during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. According to a statement on the WHO website, Dr. Mulombo recalled that Governor Sanwo-Olu had previously expressed his dedication to enhancing healthcare services in Lagos during their meeting at Chatham House in London. This mutual commitment has led the WHO to partner with the state to strengthen healthcare reforms. During his…
Twenty-one states in Nigeria are seeking loans totaling N1.65 trillion to fund their 2024 budget deficits, despite a significant increase in their allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) over the past year. From June 2023 to June 2024, all 36 states and 774 local governments in Nigeria received a total of N7.6 trillion from FAAC. This surge in revenue was largely due to the federal government’s removal of the petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023. According to findings by Daily Trust, the 36 states are projected to receive N5.54 trillion from FAAC in 2024, compared to the N3.3…
President Bola Tinubu on Monday welcomed the latest report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) highlighting the continued growth of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, praised the positive economic indicators, noting that they affirm the country’s economy is on a path to recovery. This announcement coincided with the unveiling of the Accelerated Stabilisation and Advancement Plan (ASAP) by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun. The initiative, designed to revitalise key sectors of the economy, aims to address critical challenges…
Residents of the Okuni community have raised concerns over the activities of a Chinese firm allegedly operating without proper authorization or respect for local agreements . The community claims the firm lacks essential documentation, such as a company name, state authorization for wood processing, and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration. A community representative expressed frustration, stating, “They don’t have a company name or the necessary registration papers to carry out wood processing here. How can you obtain CAC registration without a company name? They refuse to show us any agreements with our community chiefs. We cannot continue to tolerate faceless…
The Federal Government has announced a ban on individuals below the age of 18 from taking the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) exams. This announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, during an interview on Channels Television’s “Sunday Politics” program. Prof. Mamman clarified that the same age restriction applies to candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). He emphasized that this is not a new policy, but a longstanding directive that WAEC and NECO have been asked to enforce. “It is…
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has instructed all married female corps members who have been posted to states different from their husbands’ places of residence to apply for redeployment This announcement was made via NYSC’s official handle on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. The scheme stated that married female corps members are eligible to request a change in their deployment state by submitting their marital and other relevant documents at the nearest NYSC Orientation Camp during the registration process. Once the redeployment request is processed, it will be updated on the corps members’ dashboards for reprinting of their new…
The federal government has launched a new initiative to combat malaria, appointing prominent business leaders Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, and Tony Elumelu to spearhead efforts to eliminate the disease. The decision comes as Nigeria faces a significant malaria crisis, contributing over a quarter of global cases and about a third of the more than 600,000 malaria deaths worldwide, particularly impacting children and pregnant women. During the inauguration of the team in Abuja, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the dire situation, noting that malaria is responsible for 25-30% of childhood mortality and about 60%…