Tag: FG

13Apr By dthataNo Comments

Politics

$1.5Bn Repair: Nigerians Won’t Forgive FG If PH Refinery Packs Up Again – Sagay

 Nigerians will come hard on the federal government, especially Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum, if the Port Harcourt refinery fails to deliver at optimal capacity after $1.5 billion is spent on its rehabilitation. Professor Itse Sagay SAN, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with DAILY INDEPENDENT said he was shocked when he heard the refinery will be repaired with $1.5billion. According to him, he believed that Nigeria can get a brand new refinery with $1.5billion rather than spending the huge sum on the Port Harcourt refinery, which is more of a scrap. While praying for the refinery to function effectively just the way the Minister has promised, Sagay said Nigerians may even ca...

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13Apr By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Criminals Planning Attacks On Airports, FG Alerts Security Agents

The Federal Government has alerted airport security chiefs across the country of impending attacks by suspected criminals. To this end, the government through the Ministry of Aviation has alerted the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to beef up security across the airports. FAAN’s Deputy General Manager in charge of Administration and Logistics, S.M. Mamman, issued a memo to airport chiefs of security to review security measures to stave off the attacks. The airports listed included Kaduna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Kano, Abuja, and Lagos. The memo read: “I am directed to convey an alert from the Ministry of Aviation regarding security threats by criminal elements against Airports in Nigeria and to request for the immediate enumeration of necessary countermeasures for t...

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11Apr By dthataNo Comments

Politics

“FG Printed 60 Billion Naira For States To Share” – Obaseki

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has said Nigeria is in a huge financial trouble. Speaking at a programme in the state on Thursday, the governor said the federal allocation for March was insufficient, forcing the Federal Government to print between N50 billion and N60 billion for states to share. "When we got FAAC for March, the federal government printed additional N50-N60 billion to top-up for us to share." “This April, we will go to Abuja and share. By the end of this year, our total borrowings is going to be within N15-N16 trillion. Imagine a family that is just borrowing without any means to pay back and nobody is looking at that, everybody is looking at 2023, everybody is blaming Mr. President as if he is a magician,” he said. Lamenting the overdependence on crude...

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8Apr By dthataNo Comments

Sport

FG Counters Edo Government, Says Sports Festival Continues

The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has said it is not aware of plans by the Edo State Government to cancel the 20th National Sports Festival. The ministry further clarified that the ‘+’ will go as planned with competitions going on as scheduled. It will be recalled that the Edo State Government had threatened to end the event abruptly over the failure of the Federal Government to release funds. They took the decision at the end of a meeting of the Local Organising Committee of the Sports Festival Wednesday night. According to the Coordinator of Media and Publicity, National Sports Festival, Ebomhiana Musa, the Federal Government has failed to fulfil its promise to make funds available for the festival. However, in a statement, the Ministry and the Main Organizi...

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8Apr By dthataNo Comments

Education

FG Gives Licences To 20 New Private Universities

The Federal Government has presented provisional licences to the 20 new private universities recently approved by Federal Executive Council. The licences, which were presented to the universities on Thursday in Abuja, brings the total number of private universities to 99. ‘A scattered family can’t fix Nigeria’, Nigerians react as Aisha Buhari launches book The Federal Executive Council in February 2021, approved the establishment of 20 new private universities. Speaking at the occasion, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, said the approval for the establishment of these universities is a testament to the continued partnership of the federal government with the private sector towards widening access and quality of university education in Nigeria. Represented by the Mi...

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7Apr By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Panic As Bombs Hit Gunmen’s Hideouts, FG Goes After IPOB

There was panic among residents of the Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday as the military bombarded the Ikot Akpan forest in the area. The PUNCH learnt that the military operation was aimed at flushing out hoodlums who had been attacking police formations in the state. Residents, who share boundaries with hoodlums’ hideouts, told one of our correspondents that the bombing of the forest started at 8am and ended at 12 noon on Tuesday. The military exercise came barely 24 hours after gunmen attacked the Imo State police command headquarters and the Nigerian Correctional Service in Owerri, the state capital, where 1,844 inmates were freed. The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media ...

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7Apr By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG Will Fish Out Criminals, Boost Security Around Custodial Centres – Aregbesola

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the Federal Government will leave no stone unturned in fishing out the criminals who attacked law enforcement agencies in Imo State last Monday, while also promising to further secure Custodial facilities across the country. Aregbesola stated this when he inspected the Nigeria Correctional Service, NCoS, Owerri Custodial Centre which was attacked by unknown gunmen who forcefully released a total of 1,844 inmates in custody. “The Federal Government will react appropriately by going after these criminals and make them to face the full wrath of the law. We will leave no stone unturned in fishing them out. “Make no mistake, they will be hunted to the ends of the earth. They can only run, but they cannot hide. We shall bri...

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7Apr By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Owerri Jail Break: FG To Pardon Escaped Inmates, If They Voluntarily Return – Rauf Aregbesola

Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, says the fugitives who escaped from the custodial centre in Owerri, Imo state capital, will be pardoned if they voluntarily return. The minister gave the assurance while inspecting the centre on Tuesday following an attack on the facility. He said unlawful escape from custody is a crime but assured that willful returnees will be exempted from prosecution. The minister said he will ensure that those involved in the attack are brought to book. Aregbesola said the federal government will leave no stone unturned to fish out perpetrators of what he described as a “dastardly act”. He said: “Unlawful escape from custody is a crime but government in its magnanimity will grant amnesty to prisoners who willfully return. “They will no longe...

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4Apr By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Obasanjo, Gumi Ask FG To Settle And Rehabilitated Bandits Willing To Surrender

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo and Ahmad Gumi, prominent Islamic cleric, have asked the federal government to rehabilitate bandits who are willing to surrender. The call was made after Gumi led a delegation to meet with Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun state, on Sunday. The meeting follows the recent attacks across the country by suspected bandits. “Wean those who are ready to be weaned out of the bushes and crime, settle and rehabilitate them, give them skills, empower them and let them have employment,” Obasanjo and Gumi said in a joint statement issued after the meeting. “Since the end of the civil war, the military are the strongest and most potent instrument and symbol of national unity that we have and we must keep them so. “State governments must have adequate means of ...

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3Apr By dthataNo Comments

Business

FG Intervenes As MTN, Banks Trade Blame Over Shutdown

The Nigerian government says it has intervened in a feud between Nigerian banks and MTN, which left millions of phone users unable to buy airtime Friday. Talks to resolve a row over the sharing of fees on airtime sales between the two sides “reached an advanced stage” for suspended services to be restored, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, announced on Twitter late Friday. “On the fallout between @MTNNG and some banks on USSD services today, I engaged with both regulators, the Governor of @cenbank and EVC @NgComCommission. We have reached an advanced stage of resolving the issues, for the services to be restored to our citizens. Many thanks,” he said. Banks removed the telecom giant from their platforms, disallowing MTN users from accessing their ...

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1Apr By dthataNo Comments

News

Strike: FG, Doctors Reach Agreement

The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Action (MOA) with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to avert the union’s planned nationwide strike. NAN reports that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the end of a meeting with NARD on Thursday in Abuja. NARD had threatened to commence a nationwide strike on April 1, accusing the Federal Government of reneging on the agreements it reached with the union. The doctors’ grievances include the non-payment of salaries of between three to five months to some house officers and the non-recruitment of house officers. Others are the abolishment of the bench fees for doctors undergoing training in other hospitals, and the non-payment of National Minimu...

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1Apr By dthataNo Comments

News

PDP, Others Criticises FG As US Alleges Massive Graft In Buhari’s Regime

The US stated this in the ‘2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,’ released on Tuesday, but made available to The PUNCH on Wednesday. In their separate reactions on Wednesday, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and a former President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Malachy Ugwumadu, berated the regime of Muhammadu Buhari. Expressing concern about corruption in Nigeria, the US, in the report, stated that it was widespread and pervasive at all levels of government, including the judiciary and security services. Against the backdrop of President Muhammadu Buhari regime’s anti-graft stance, the US Department of State, which authored the report, said there were numerous allegations of government corruption last year. It cited the arrest and in...

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31Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

MSME: FG Has Supported 9,085 Beneficiaries In Gombe – Osinbajo

No fewer than 9,085 persons have benefited from Federal Government support for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises in education sector. Revealing this on Tuesday at the 27th edition of National MSME clinic in Gombe, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said over 10,000 artisans had so far enjoyed the support. He added the state had over 6,000 business names registered free of charge. Osinbajo said, “A look at the programme you will see those that have benefitted already. Thus far in the payroll support for Gombe state, we have ensured that about 9,085 employees from close to 2,000 micro small and medium enterprises from educational sector have benefited from the scheme and another 10,000 artisans have also benefited from the scheme and up to 6,000 new business name have been registered...

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30Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG, States’ Debt Profile Rise To ₦32.92 Trillion – NBS

Nigeria’s total public debt portfolio as at Dec. 31, 2020, stood at N32.92 trillion, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reveals. It made the revelation in its Nigerian Domestic and Foreign Debt report for Quarter Four, 2020, obtained from its website on Monday in Abuja. It added that the debt profile was for the States and the Federal Government. According to the bureau, Nigeria’s total public debt showed that N12.71 trillion or 38.60 per cent of the debt was external, while N20.21 trillion or 61.40 per cent of the debt was domestic. “Further disaggregation of Nigeria’s foreign debt showed that 17.93 billion dollars of the debt was multilateral, 4.06 billion dollars was bilateral from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Exim Bank of China, Japan International Cooperat...

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29Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

“Try Out Tinubu’s Suggestions On National Issues” – Gbajabiamila Tells FG

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has called on the federal government to look into and implement some of the suggestions made by the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on important national issues. He made the call in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, on Monday. Gbajabiamila, who was quoted while speaking on the 12th Bola Tinubu’s Colloquium, which he participated via Zoom, said Tinubu’s suggestions on how to tackle some national issues be “practicalized.” “Today, we have listened to him and picked from what we have learned and what we have heard. “I want to say let’s practicalize those things and get to our Eldorado in Nigeria,” he said. It could be recalled that Tin...

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29Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Recruit 50 Million Youths Into Army To Fight Insecurity – Tinubu To FG

All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, on Monday, urged the Federal Government to recruit at least 50 million youths into the Nigerian Army to boost Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, banditry and all forms of internal and external security threats confronting the nation. Tinubu spoke at the 12th colloquium to celebrate his 69th birthday in Kano State. He said, “We are under-policed and we are competing with armed robbers and bandits to recruit from the youths who are unemployed —33 per cent unemployed?” “Recruit 50 million youths into the army,” he stated, adding that “what they will eat —cassava, corn, yam, will grow here.” The APC chieftain, while reacting to recent statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics that over 23 million Nigerians are jobless, als...

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28Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Malaysian Firm Battles FG Over Multi Billion Naira Passport Printing Contract

A directive by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in 2019 that the Nigerian passport booklets should be produced locally has not been carried out two years down the line. Sunday PUNCH gathered that the delay was due to the inability of the Ministry of Interior to terminate the contract awarded to Smart Technology Nigeria Limited for the production of the passport booklets. Smart Technology Nigeria Limited works in partnership with its parent company, Iris Corporation, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The e-passport booklets are produced in Malaysia, but the Nigeria Immigration Service activates the passport through the biometric data transfer. It was gathered that the Ministry of Interior and the NIS officials have been holding meetings with ISTL for o...

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27Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG Leveraging Fintech Innovation To Address Agric, Energy Challenges – Osinbajo

The Federal Government is leveraging the innovative capacity of Fintechs to accelerate interventions, especially those under its Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP), including programmes on renewable energy, agriculture, improving access to credit and direct cash transfers, among others, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo said on Friday. Professor Osinbajo stated this at the official launch of the Nigeria Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Fintech Hackathon in Abuja. “This is incredibly powerful for our efforts at resolving the climate crisis, transitioning to cleaner energy, but it also introduces a tremendous opportunity for Fintech companies for payments systems,” he said. The vice president added, “Being able to manage that whole process, collect monies in some cas...

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27Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Outrage As FG Admits Paying Fuel Subsidy After Removal

Outrage on Thursday greeted fresh revelations on how the Fed­eral Government has been secretly running a subsidy regime re­garding petroleum products when the Group Managing Director of Nigerian Na­tional Petroleum Corpora­tion (NNPC), Mele Kyari, disclosed that the adminis­tration currently subsidises the cost of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as fuel, with about N120 billion ($263,248 million) monthly. Kyari stated this during the weekly media briefing organised by the Presiden­tial Communication Team at the State House, Abuja. It would be recalled that Minister of Finance, Bud­get and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, had on Jan­uary 12 during a virtual public presentation of the breakdown and highlights of 2021 Appropriation Act in Abuja said, “We are not bringing back...

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25Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG Rejects TI’s Rating Of Nigeria’s Anti-corruption War

The recent poor rating of Nigeria in its anti-corruption campaign by the Transparency International (TI) received the attention of the federal government yesterday as it punctured the assessment, saying it was full of discrepancies, inaccurate data and indices. The National Contact to TI in Nigeria, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), had on Tuesday, accused the present Nigerian government of not being transparent in its anti-corruption crusade and management of recovered assets. But in a swift response, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told reporters at the end of the weekly virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting emphasised that TI has been using incorrect indices to rate Nigeria in the last decade. He said TI had fail...

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24Mar By dthataNo Comments

News

FG Delegation Arrives In Katsina Over Central Market Fire

A Federal Government delegation visited the burnt Katsina Central Market on Tuesday. The delegation was led by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and included the Minister of Internal Affairs, Rauf Aregbesola; his colleague in charge of the Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Special Development ministry, Hajiya Sadia Farouq; Minister for Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi; Minister of Aviation, Hadi Srika; and the spokesman for the President, Garba Shehu. The Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Masari on Market Development, Mallam Abubakar Yusuf, stated that some traders lost huge amount of cash kept inside their shops as over 1,000 shops in the market were razed on Monday. He stated, “The fire incident is a real disaster. N...

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23Mar By dthataNo Comments

News

Higher Petrol Price Inevitable, FG Can’t Afford Subsidy – Zainab Ahmed

Petrol price in Nigeria will go higher from its present N165 if the price of crude keeps going up, Zainab Ahmed, the finance minister has said. Zainab spoke on Monday during her contribution in an interaction arranged by the Presidency Media team and State House reporters. According to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the Federal Government will allow the prices of petroleum products to be determined by the market forces in line with the deregulation of the oil sector. “We simply cannot afford the subsidy, we don’t have the money to pay for subsidy”, she said. “We do recognise that there will be some increased hardships on a segment of the society. But we are looking at how to address that,’’ she added. In another report published by Reuters, Ahmed ...

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22Mar By dthataNo Comments

News

FG May Sell Port Harcourt Refinery After $1.5bn Rehabilitation – Sylva

The federal government may consider selling the Port Harcourt refinery after the planned rehabilitation which is put at the cost of $1.5 billion, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva has revealed. Speaking in an interview on Channels Television programme ‘Politics Today’ monitored by Daily Independent, the Minister who was responding to questions on why the federal government chose to repair the refinery after several failed efforts in the past, said it is improper to sell a refinery that is not working. He also added that when functional, the refinery will not be managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) but will be handed to a professional operations and management company to manage its affairs. In his words “I know there has been disc...

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21Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Ignore Asari Dokubo At Your Own Peril, Bashir Tofa Warns FG

“It is the sign of backwardness to continue propagating a divisive presidency, rather than the one that will serve all Nigerians equally and justly,”... An elder statesman, Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa, has warned the federal government not to ignore the Biafra Customary Government (BCG) proclaimed by Alhaji Asari Dokubo, the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Force (NDPSF). Alhaji Dokubo, who had announced himself as the leader of BCG had also said provincial structures would be set up for the government; but the FG, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had reacted to the proclamation by describing it as a ‘theatre of the absurd by a joker seeking attention.’ Reacting to this development, Alhaji Tofa, in an exclusive interview with Daily...

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21Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Hold FG Responsible If Ortom Is Assassinated – Wike

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has warned that the Federal Government will be held responsible if his counterpart in Benue State, Samuel Ortom, is assassinated. He insisted that if Ortom was killed, the country would be plunged into another civil war. Wike spoke while reacting to attempt on Governor Ortom’s life by 15 gunmen, who reportedly trailed him to a river bank in Tyo Mu along Makurdi/Gboko road in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State on Saturday. Wike in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said: “If you kill Ortom, then be prepared to bury Nigeria. If anything happens to Governor Ortom, the Federal Government will be held responsible and they should be prepared that there will be no more Nigeria.” Wike recalled how a former G...

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21Mar By dthataNo Comments

Education, Politics

Some ASUU Demands Can’t Be Met Now, Says FG

The Federal Government has faulted the fresh notice by the Academic Staff Union of Universities to embark on a fresh strike barely four months after calling off a 10-month industrial action. The government said any person conceiving a strike after close to one year of downing tools would be doing a disservice to students “because government is a continuum.” The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, who stated this in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, said it had been difficult for the government to run the lives of over 200 million people with less than $70m a day in earnings. He said, “Whoever is conceiving a strike after being on a strike for close to one year is damaging the studentship because government is a continuum. Even if we are not in power today, ano...

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21Mar By dthataNo Comments

News

FG Begins Recovery Of ₦100 Billion From Lottery Operators

In a bid to ensure balance and fairness in the operations of games in the lottery industry, the federal government is set to begin recovering the N100 billion that it’s being owed by lottery operators. This, it intends to do by setting up a road map to enable the industry play its role in the economy of the country. In a meeting held with operators in Abuja, the minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, George Akume, said the federal government is set to setup an Extra Ministerial Committee constituted to recover the N100 billion revenue owed it by lottery operators. He said that the committee would be activated within two weeks and the government would not hesitate to do the needful against any operator that is not meeting up in its statutory obligations. Akum...

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19Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Social Investment: FG Impacts 95 South East LGs

In its determination to reduce youth unemployment in the South East, the federal government has concluded arrangements to equip the vulnerable in the ninety-five Local Government Areas that constitute the zone with vocational skills and other empowerment initiatives. This is in furtherance of the ongoing social investment programmes (SIPs), spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. The disclosure was made by an indigenous support group, the South East Support for N-Power and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs (SESNAM), in a statement by its National Coordinator, Kamsi Uzodimma. According to SESNAM, the investment programmes are in the areas of vocational skills (tailoring, carpentry, shoe making, trading etc), aquacu...

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19Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Herdsmen: FG Lied, Ogun Refugees Still In Benin Republic, Says Red Cross

The Nigerian Red Cross Society on Friday says contrary to the Federal Government’s claim that Ogun refugees have left Benin Republic, the victims of herdsmen attacks are still displaced in the francophone West African country. The Ogun State Executive Branch Secretary of the humanitarian group, Oluwole Aboyade, stated this in an interview with The PUNCH. Some residents of the Yewa area of Ogun State were recently forced to seek refuge in Benin Republic following attacks by herdsmen who invaded their villages and unleashed unprintable horror on them. The PUNCH also visited some of the Ogun refugees in Benin Republic where they narrated their ordeal including how herdsmen burnt their children and their houses and how they had scampered for safety in the wake of the attacks. T...

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18Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

We Found Gold Deposits Along Abuja-Nasarawa Highway – FG

Gold deposits have been discovered along the Abuja, Nasarawa axis through the National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project being undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development. Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, disclosed this while playing host to the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, in Abuja. The minister in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by his media aide, Ayodeji Adeyemi, told his guest that the FMMSD would develop the mineral resources in Nasarawa. He said his ministry was resolved to avoid a repeat of the Zamfara experience (where bandits were largely in charge of the gold mining) in Nasarawa State. He added that the NIMEP project which had cost the ministry N15bn had generated many geoscience data ...

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18Mar By dthataNo Comments

News

Experts Criticize FG Over ₦568.5 Billion Vote To Repair Loss-Making PH Refinery

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the plan by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to rehabilitate the Port Harcourt Refinery with $1.5bn. The decision was taken at the weekly meeting of the council presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). However, some experts in separate interviews with out correspondents faulted the move by the government, describing it as wasteful and senseless. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said the contract for the rehabilitation was awarded to an Italian company, Tecnimont spa, which he said won the bid. Sylva said the firm specialises in maintenance of refiner...

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18Mar By dthataNo Comments

News

Ogun Refugees In Benin Republic Have All Gone Back Home – FG

The Federal Government has said it cannot locate the displaced Ogun State residents taking refuge in Benin Republic due to attacks on their communities by armed herdsmen. The government explained that the Nigerian Embassy officials, who visited the communities where the people were taking shelter, were informed that they had returned to their communities in Nigeria. The Director of Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Bolaji Akinremi, disclosed this to The PUNCH on Wednesday in response to inquiries on what the government was doing to bring back the refugees. The displaced persons from Agbon-Ojodu, Moro, Asa, Ibeku and other villages in the Yewa Local Government Area of Ogun State had abandoned their communities and took refuge in neighbouring Benin Republic fo...

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17Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG Approves $1.5bn For Rehabilitation Of Port Harcourt Refinery

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the plan by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to rehabilitate the Port Harcourt Refinery with $1.5bn. The decision was taken at the weekly meeting of the council presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The minister said, “The Ministry of Petroleum Resources presented a memo on the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt refinery for the sum of $1.5bn, and that memo was $1.5 billion and it was approved by council today. “So, we are happy to announce that the rehabilitation of the refinery will commence in three phases. The first phase...

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16Mar By dthataNo Comments

News

FG Fixes Dates To Reopen Kano, Enugu, PH Airports For International Flights

The federal government has announced dates for the reopening of Kano, Enugu, and Port Harcourt airports, for international flights. Speaking at the weekly briefing of the presidential taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19 on Monday, Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, said Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu airports will be reopened for international flights on April 5, April 15 and May 3 respectively. There have been calls for the federal government to reopen the international wing of the airports, since it was shut in 2020 as part of efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The minister had said the decision to suspend international flights in Kano — as is the case with the airports in Enugu and Port Harcourt — was for health and security reasons. “There have been agitations for us to ...

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15Mar By dthataNo Comments

Education

Universities Will Be Shut Down Again Over Non-Payment Of Salaries – ASUU To FG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has threatened to resume its suspended strike over non-payment of salaries and alleged victimisation of members. The chairman, University of Ibadan branch of ASUU, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, in a statement on Sunday asked Nigerians to blame the Federal Government if universities are shut down again. Akinwole decried that despite agreeing to ASUU’s condition before the strike was suspended on December 24, 2020, many lecturers are still being owed salaries of between two and 10 months. ASUU had called off its nine-month strike after the FG agreed to its conditions. However, within two weeks of the conditional suspension of the nine-month strike embarked upon by ASUU, the Federal Government reportedly flouted the agreements.It was l...

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12Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG, 36 States Can Conveniently Pay Minimum Wage If They Are Sincere – Bismarck Rewane

Bismarck Rewane, chairman of the Presidential Techni­cal Advisory Committee on the Implementation of the National Minimum Wage (PTAC), on Thursday, said both the Federal Government and state governments had no excuses not to pay the N30,000 minimum wage as they had the capacity to conveniently do so if they were willing. Rewane, an economic and financial expert, disclosed this while featuring as a guest on Channels Television pro­gramme ‘Politics Today’ mon­itored by Daily Independent. Nigerian workers, under the umbrella of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), had staged a nationwide pro­test, kicking against the plan by both the Federal and state governments to freely negoti­ate the minimum wage with their workers in line with the nation’s federal ...

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12Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG Won’t Engage Foreign Mercenaries On Insecurity – Babagana Monguno

The federal government has ruled out talks of engaging foreign mercenaries in the fight against insurgents and other forms of insecurity in different parts of the country. It also said negotiating with terrorists and bandits is not one of its plans to secure the country. National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), who stated this on Thursday during the weekly ministerial briefing at the State House in Abuja, said government would rather deploy all necessary forces to eliminate criminals. Responding to a question from journalists on renewed calls by North-east governors on the federal government to engage foreign mercenaries in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists, Monguno said Nigeria has both the personnel and equipment to achieve victory over th...

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12Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

PDP Governors Will Support FG To Fight Insecurity – Tambuwal

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Thursday, pledged support to federal government’s effort to stem the tide of growing security concern in the country. Sokoto state governor and chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal stated this at the end of a meeting of the governors held at the Sokoto Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja. The meeting which had in attendance almost all the PDP governors, followed quickly on the heels of a similar one held by the party’s Board of Trustees at the party’s secretariat in Abuja. Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting which lasted over five hours, Tambuwal said the PDP governors would not politicize insecurity, hence, their resolve to join hands with the federal government to tame the monster. ...

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11Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG Won’t Negotiate With Bandits, Terrorists – NSA, Babagana Monguno

The Federal Government has declared it won't negotiate with terrorists and bandits. National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), who stated this during the weekly ministerial briefing at the State House in Abuja, said government would rather deploy all necessary forces to eliminate criminals. According to him, negotiating with the criminals would suggest weakness and incapacity on the part of government. He said the government would not succumb to blackmail and the use of criminals by proxies to harass innocent citizens. “While the government is not averse to talking it must apply the necessary force because you can’t trust these people. “Government wants to use military assets to eliminate them but if along the line, the come out, good. It pain...

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11Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Ibori’s Loot Will Fund 2nd Niger Bridge, Lagos–Ibadan, Abuja–Kano Expressways – FG

The federal government says the £4.2m loot recovered from James Ibori, former governor of Delta state, will be used to fund three infrastructural projects including the second Niger bridge. Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), listed the two other projects as the Lagos–Ibadan and Abuja–Kano expressways. The government had earlier deployed $321 million loot recovered from Sani Abacha, former head of state, for the construction of the same projects. The fresh loot was seized from Ibori who was convicted of fraud and money laundering by a UK court in 2012. It will be returned to Nigeria following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Tuesday by the federal government and the UK. At the MoU signing in Abuja, Malami said Nigeria remains committed...

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11Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Falana Criticizes FG, Says Ibori Loot Belongs To Delta

Human rights lawyer , Mr . Femi Falana (SAN) , says the loot recovered from convicted ex- Governor of Delta State , James Ibori, belongs to the state and not the Federal Government. He , therefore, faulted the Federal Government’s plan to use the recently recovered £4. 2m to construct Lagos -Ibadan Expressway, Abuja - Kano railway and other federal projects. Falana, in a statement , said , “ The £4 .2m does not belong to the Federal Government. The money confiscated from Governor Joshua Dariye in the United Kingdom was recovered by the Federal Government, repatriated to Nigeria and returned to the Plateau State Government. “ The money confiscated from Governor Diepreye Alamieyesigha in the United Kingdom was recovered by the Federal Government, repatriated to Nigeria and remitted ...

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10Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Ganduje Asks FG To Re-Open Kano Airport For International Flight

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has appealed to the Federal Government to re-open the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano to allow for the resumption of international flight operations. This is contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Abba Anwar, in Kano. The governor spoke when he led a delegation of legislators, business, traditional and civic leaders to pay a courtesy visit to the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, in Abuja. He lamented that the continued closure of the airport is causing hardship to international travelers from the Northern part of the country, as the action is severely impacting on ease of doing business in Kano. “The closure of MAKIA has impacted negatively on the business environment...

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10Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG Introduces Temporary Passports For Nigerians Abroad

The Federal Government on Monday inaugurated an electronic temporary passport to replace the emergency travel certificate for effective identity management. The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said in Abuja that the temporary passport was an electronic document with all the features of a regular passport. According to Aregbesola, the difference is that it is temporary and valid for one trip and will be retrieved from the user at the entry point. “The temporary passport is ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) compliant and is valid for only 30 days. “It’s a replacement for the hitherto emergency travel certificate issued to Nigerians in emergency situations where their passports were not available and had the need to travel to Nigeria. “This new documen...

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10Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Buhari Government Had No Plan To Execute Bonny Deep Seaport Project – Wike

Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, says Federal Government, FG, was never willing to executive the Bonny Deep Sea Port it conceived for Rivers state and was only deceiving the people from the outset. Wike expressed the feeling on Monday, March 8, 2021, at the inauguration of Rumuji -Ibaa-Obelle-Isiopko Road in Rivers state performed by former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido who also bashed the All Progressives Congress, APC, as ruling without vision and feeling for the people. Wike declared, “Let them (FG) tell us what they had done for Rivers state. I hear they want to flag off railways narrow gauge from here (Rivers) to Maiduguri. Is that what we need? “They want to do Bonny Deep Sea Port, for how many years now? Before the drawings will come out, has the g...

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7Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG Considers Fresh Taxes On Petroleum Products, Beverages

As the Federal Government declared tax reliefs for businesses due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is considering new taxes to generate revenue to fund the 2021 Appropriation Act. The Nigeria Customs Service also proposed the return of a N1.50 levy on every litre of petroleum product bought in the country. Non-alcoholic beverages are also to be taxed like alcoholic drinks and tobacco. Controller-General of the NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.), had on Thursday appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Customs to defend the service’s 2020 budgetary performance and 2021 proposal. Ali, who led top officials of the Customs before the committee, made written and oral submissions. The lawmakers also grilled him for about three hours. The Customs boss...

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7Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

₦10.6 Billion COVID-19 Vaccine Logistics Cost Claim Is False – FG

The Federal Government has debunked media report claiming that not less than N10.6 billion had been earmarked for the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines across the country. A national daily had on Saturday, in its report, claimed to have cited a document put together by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and presented to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), which set the budget for the logistics distribution of vaccines to the states and council areas at N10.6 billion. However, reacting to the said report on Saturday, the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, described the quoted figure as incredulous, explaining that the responsibility of distribution of vaccines across the country had been taken over by the Coalition Against COVID-19 (C...

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6Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

FG Budgets N10.6bn For Transportation Of COVID-19 Vaccine Across Nigeria

The Federal Government has budgeted N10.6 billion for the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines to the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory. According to a document seen by PUNCH, a total of N12.7 billion was budgeted as cost of transportation for the vaccine, procurement of PPE and AEFI kits. In the document containing the budget details, Kano state has the highest budgetary allocation with N685.4million, while Lagos state, the epicenter of the pandemic, earmarked N558.6million for the transportation of the vaccine. Bayelsa state has the lowest budgetary allocation for transportation with N121 million. The budget was presented to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) alongside representatives of the federal ministry of health, on Thursday, in a meeting...

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6Mar By dthataNo Comments

News

50 Percent Of Nigerian Immigration Officers To Now Work At Border Posts – FG

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to improve surveillance and control around the nation’s borders, and “ensure that criminal elements don’t find Nigeria as a safe haven to hide and perpetuate their criminality.’’ President Buhari gave the directive in his speech at the virtual Commissioning Ceremony of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Technology Building, at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja. The President in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, told all security agencies to raise their performance in protecting lives and property, with a mandate that the country’s Global Security Index must be improved. According to him, “It is imperative that our ranki...

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5Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

No fly-Zone: Zamfara State House Of Assembly Rejects FG’s Declaration

The Zamfara State House of Assembly has rejected the FG's declaration of no fly-zone in Zamfara State. President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, through the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (retd), directed that Zamfara State be declared a no fly-zone, following the upsurge of banditry and insecurity in the State. BREAKING: Zamfara state House of Assembly passes vote of no confidence on #NSA Babagana Monguno over what they described as poor handling of security issues in the state. The lawmakers reject the Federal government's declaration of Zamfara State as 'no flight zone'

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5Mar By dthataNo Comments

Politics

Zulum Asks FG To Hire Mercenaries, Seek Foreign Support To End Insurgency

Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, has asked the federal government to hire mercenaries and seek support of neighbouring countries in the fight against insurgency. The governor spoke at the North-east Governors Forum meeting which held in Bauchi on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Bala Mohammed, Ahmadu Fintiri, Muhammad Yahaya and Darius Ishaku; governors of Bauchi, Adamawa, Gombe and Taraba states respectively. Zulum, who chairs the forum, said joint action is required to end the insurgency. “Again, I want to use this opportunity to call on the federal government to seek support from our neighbours, especially the Republic of Chad and Niger with a view to providing a joint action that will look into the possibility of ending this crisis,” he said. “Furthermore, federal ...

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