Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

The Senate Committee on Finance has mandated the Inspector General of Police to compel the appearance of the Registrar General of Corporate Affairs Commission, Garba Lawal, before it within 24 hours. The committee chairman, Sani Musa, expressed anger when the Registrar General shunned the committee’s invitation for the third time on Wednesday. Lawal was expected to appear to defend the CAC 2024 budget after some financial discrepancies were spotted by the committee in the accounts submitted and needed further explanation. Four senior officials of the commission, having confirmed several letters of invitation by the Clerk of the Senate Committee on…

Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface has won the Rookie of the Month award for a fifth consecutive time this season after taking the December prize. The forward has made the Rookie of the Month award his own since joining Bayer Leverkusen from Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise in the summer. The 22-year-old previously won the award in August, September, October and November. Boniface has scored three goals and provided two assists in three league appearances for Xabi Alonso’s side this month. The Nigeria international will hope to add to the tally when Die Werkself take on Bochum in their final game of…

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu has declared an extended Christmas holiday lasting 14 days for all civil servants in the state. The holiday period will begin on Wednesday, December 20 and conclude on January 2, 2024. In an official statement released on Wednesday (today), the governor’s chief press secretary, Emmanuel Ogbeche, clarified that only essential workers will be exempted from this holiday. Governor Otu thanked the workers for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. He encouraged them to utilize this opportunity to spend valuable time with their families and also urged them to participate actively in the annual Calabar…

The President of the 10th Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday, declared the seats of David Umahi and Ibrahim Geidam in the upper legislative chamber vacant. The Senate President reached the decision following their appointments as ministers of works and police affairs, respectively. While Umahi represented Ebonyi South, Geidam represented Yobe East. Following the announcement, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct by-elections in these senatorial districts. INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, on Monday, said the commission is considering conducting by-elections and rerun polls in state and federal constituencies in February 2024. He noted that political parties must carry out fresh primaries…

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has unveiled the provisional squad for the Super Eagles ahead of the forthcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON). The list is contained in a document uploaded on the CAF website on Wednesday. The NFF submitted a 40-man list to the continental football governing body within the stipulated December 14 deadline. The list includes Ahmed Musa and William Troost-Ekong, who were previously absent from the recent Super Eagles outings. Others are six goalkeepers, 13 defenders, eight midfielders and 13 forwards. Victor Osimhen, newly crowned African footballer of the year, was included alongside red-hot Victor Boniface, Ademola…

President Bola Tinubu has authorised a 50 per cent reduction in the fares that commercial buses charge on interstate routes during the Yuletide season. The Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr. Dele Alake, announced the cut on Wednesday. According to him, the effort is a presidential intervention aimed at offering relief to the poor during the holiday season. He said, “President Bola Tinubu, in another demonstration of his love for Nigerians, has approved that the Federal Government should intervene to bring down the cost of public transport to allow our compatriots who want to travel to visit their loved ones and…

The Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has withdrawn his case against the Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule at the State High Court sitting in Isiokpo in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state. This comes days after Fubara met with President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and other Rivers Stakeholders in Aso Villa. The meeting, which was fixed to end the political crisis in the state, saw Wike, Fubara, and some others sign an agreement to end the feud. Among the agreement was for Governor Fubara to withdraw legal cases…

The Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, has officially approved the 2024 appropriation bill of N314.8 billion for the state. The budget announced on Wednesday morning surpasses the previous year’s budget of N149.9 billion by N164.9 billion. The “Budget of New Beginnings” allocates N162.3 billion for recurrent expenditure and N152.5 billion for capital expenditure. In his remark during the presentation, Governor Mutfwang expressed his commitment to transforming Plateau into a remarkable state, stating that the budget reflects his administration’s vision for a brighter future. He said: “We encountered a state of neglect in critical sectors and we are determined to lay a new…

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led government has directed trailers and tankers packed in Cele bus stop, inward Tincan Port axis, to vacate the area immediately. Articulated vehicles are often parked on the routes along the Apapa-Oshodi expressway while obstructing the free flow of traffic. The special adviser on transportation to the Lagos State Governor, Sola Giwa, announced the directive in a statement on Wednesday. The statement read, “The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, said the directive underscores the commitment of the state government to ensuring the smooth flow of traffic and minimising disruptions caused by the persistent presence of these…

A shipment of 25,000 tons of Ukrainian grain is now being prepared for transit from the Turkish port of Samsun to Nigeria as part of the Grain from Ukraine program. This information was provided in a statement by Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar. He stated that the grain is currently being stored in Turkey under the aegis of the United Nations World Food Program. The envoy also examined the port and the Fuat Sezgin vessel, which will convey the cargo to Nigeria as part of the Grain from Ukraine program. The ambassador emphasized preparations to deliver another 60 ships…

The Federal government has raised the alarm over the spread of fake online platforms for palliative distribution in the country. The Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed this in a notice through her X handle on Monday. According to the Minister, different unauthorized online platforms claim associations with the Presidential Palliative Programmes and charge people for palliative distribution. She urged Nigerians to ignore such platforms, noting that the only verified platform for the palliative initiative is the one with the government’s endorsement. “It has come to my notice that unauthorized platforms falsely claim association with the Presidential…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC Ltd.) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TotalEnergies for the adoption and deployment of a methane detection technology known as Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Application (AUSEA) in all its upstream operations. With the agreement, which is a direct benefit from the Company’s participation at the recently concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference (also known as COP28) in Dubai, UAE, NNPC Ltd. will be able to deploy the TotalEnergies AUSEA technology on its upstream operations sites to ascertain the level of methane emissions from them, with a view to working out…