NIGERIAN NEWS BLOGGERS

  ASUU National President The Academic Staff Union of University, on Wednesday, suspended its strike, ending the industrial action that started since March 2020. ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi, made the announcement during a briefing of the union in Abuja. He said the suspension of the strike takes effect from Thursday, December 24th, 2020.

The members of the Ad-hoc committee in charge of the election of Members of the ECOWAS Parliament through direct universal suffrage commence action in achieving it's mandate.     The committee which met from 8th to 12th December 2020, in Lagos, Nigeria was set up to examine and propose mechanisms to make the election of Members of Parliament by direct universal suffrage a reality.  The meeting was aimed at strengthening the knowledge of members of the committee on the challenges of electing representatives to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by direct universal suffrage.  The meeting captured presentations by the Parliament Managerial staff on "The Evolution of the ECOWAS Parliament, a historical Perspective", "Justification of the election of deputies by direct universal suffrage" and "A Comparative Analysis of direct election systems practiced in the ECOWAS Region". Aware of the role of an elected Parliament in facilitating the ...

Following the earlier directive on the suspension of new SIM registration by network operators, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) convened an urgent meeting of key stakeholders in the Communications industry on Monday, December 14, 2020.   The meeting had in attendance the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Management of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), as well as the CEOs and Management staff of all service providers in the industry.   At the meeting, the need to consolidate the achievements of last year’s  SIM registration audit and improve the performance and sanity of the sector was exhaustively discussed and all stakeholders agreed that urgent drastic measures have now become inevitable to improve the integrity and transparency of the SIM registration process.   To this end, t...

  Late Chief Ben Nkpe Otu Family's, Relatives and Friends over the world gathered in a funeral service in honour of a renowned Philanthropist, Chief Ben Nkpe Otu,  who slept in the Lord on 22nd of November 2020.  Chief Ben Nkpe Otu, ( Ochue 1 of Erue) , who hails from Kakwagom Irruan Village, Boki Local Government Area in Cross River State of Nigeria  was born into the humble and polygamous family of Mr. & Mrs. John Ncha Otu.  He had his primary education at the prestigious St. Peters Primary School, Kakwagom where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate in 1969, and the. proceeded to Mary Knoll Secondary school, Okuku Yala Local Government Area where he obtained his WAEC in 1977.  in the bid to further develop himself, Chief Ben enrolled into the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa State, where he obtained his Ordinary National Diploma,  and also his Higher National Diploma, and later proceeded to the University of Calabar where he obtained...

  The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has observed that some of its completed projects in Edo are not fully utilised. Mrs Toyin Fashoranti, Deputy Director, Special Project Unit, Ministry of Works and Housing, expressed the concern during an inspection of the projects executed in the state on Wednesday. Fashoranti said that it was disheartening to see that in spite of the huge money spent on the projects, the communities where they were located would not make use of them. Projects inspected include the completed and fully equipped Skill Acquisition centre at Ogbeson community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area (LGA) of the state. "We are here today on tour to access the Federal Government projects executed by the ministry and to ascertain how they are impacting on the people. “Where the projects are not in use we sensitise them to the need to put them to use and maintain them. “This skill acquisition centre was completed, fully equipped and handed over to Ogbeson community...

The Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis has called on member states to strive towards effectively deploying Information Communication Technology (ICT) in educating its populace especially in view of the new normal occasioned by COVID-19. Tunis gave the charge while delivering an address at the opening of the meeting of Parliament’s Joint Committee on Education, Science and Technology -Telecommunication and Information Technology and the committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security, as well as Committee on Infrastructure, Tunis added that 20 years was an important milestone. He stressed that there was an urgent need to embrace technology in educating the populace and as such, technology must be made available and assessable to ward against a looming socio-economic inequality in education. According to Tunis, West African leaders must prioritise this move and other such recommendations that would emanate from the committee meeting so that education is not further di...

  Prof. Stanley Okolo, DG WAHO The West Africa Health Organization (WAHO) has called on members of the ECOWAS Parliament and regional leaders to brace up for a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that may hit West Africa even as confirmed cases of the pandemic have hit 195,073 in the region. The Director General of WAHO, Professor Stanley Okolo, said this on Wednesday, while making his presentation during the technical session of the ongoing Delocalized Meeting of ECOWAS on Agricultural Production, Food Security and the Fight against Covid-19, which commenced in Guinea Bissau on Tuesday. The Delocalised Meeting was organized by the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Industry and Private Sector, Health, Energy, Mines and Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment with the theme “Agricultural Production and Food Security in the ECOWAS Region under Covid-19 Pandemic”.  Okolo tasked the region’s leaders not to relax even if the region appears to ...

Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Parliament) Sidie Mohammed Tunis, has been joined by  experts in the sub region and other stakeholders to strategize on how to improve food security and  agricultural production in order to ameliorate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the region. This is the crux of the ECOWAS Parliament Delocalised meeting with the theme " Agricultural Production and Food Security in ECOWAS region under Covid-19 pandemic" scheduled to begin on Tuesday November 10 in Bissau, Guinea Bissau. Speaker Tunis, who led a delegation of members of Parliament for a courtesy visit on the President of Guinea Bissau, Umaro Embalo, at the Presidential Villa in Bissau on Monday ahead of Tuesday's opening ceremony, said Guinea Bissau was chosen for the meeting because it is believed to be stable. The Speaker said :  "As you all are aware, Covid-19 has had very negative effects on food production, which is threat...

  THE COVID-19 pandemic and security issues have been identified by the ECOWAS Parliament as threat to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in West Africa, especially on the going concern of companies and business start ups. Notwithstanding the benefits of free trade, there are visible threats which stall progress and create stumbling blocks to investments that in turn affect commerce and employment in the region, the ECOWAS Parliament stated. Among these are terrorism and insecurity, which it said increase uncertainty and raise the cost of goods and services. Continuing, speaker Tunis said that Terrorism slows the flow of goods and resources through through ports due to greater inspections and safeguard and divert government expenditures from more productive public investment to less productive security activities. "In addition to terrorism, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement," the Sp...

  The National Examinations Council (NECO) wishes to inform candidates, schools and other stakeholders of the resumption of the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) in all states and the FCT from Monday 9th November 2020.  The Council was constrained to postpone the examinations indefinitely on Monday 25th October 2020 due to security challenges occasioned by the ENDSARS protests, which disrupted the smooth conduct of the examinations in some parts of the Country. Following the return of normalcy in the states and FCT, the examinations will now continue with a new Time-Table from Monday 9th November, 2020 to Saturday 28th November, 2020.  This new Time-Table will be made available to the general public, schools and candidates from Wednesday 4th November, 2020. The Time-Table can also be seamlessly downloaded from the NECO official website: www.neco.gov.ng The Council thanks the general public and candidates for their patience and understanding during the peri...

 ... To Pay 40,000 Monthly Stipend to Interns  As part of efforts to reduce the rate of unemployment in Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved Internship Programme for 4,000 unemployed graduates in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of the present administration and the Youth Development Programme of the State.  Speaking recently on the programme with newsmen, the Honourable Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, said the Graduate Internship Placement Programme (GIPP) is designed to give candidates the opportunity to develop employability and work-ready skills that are needed in securing gainful employment.    She added that the Internship Programme will be addressing the third and fourth pillars of the present administration's T.H.E.M.E.S agenda, which are Education and Technology and Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, while the beneficiaries will be paid a monthly stipend of N40,000 for the six months duration of...

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has emerged as the new director-general of the World Trade Organisation,  The former Nigerian finance minister clinched the position by a wide margin against South Korean Yoo Myung hee, Arise reported citing officials in Europe. Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala received widespread support from Africa and other continents for her role. She was a former World Bank executive who has sat on the boards of several international organisations, including Twitter and the Global Vaccine Alliance. Her victory came days after European Union member nations backed her candidacy against Ms. Myung hee, who was supported by the United States. Earlier this month, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, chairman of the African Union, said Africa will ensure her emergence for the top WTO job. Source: ARISE TV

  The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has re-appointed Prof Mahmood Yakubu as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday titled “President Buhari nominates Prof Yakubu as INEC chairman for second term in office.” The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari has presented the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, for a second term in office. “In a letter to President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, the President said in accordance with the provision of Section 154 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), ‘I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate, the nomination of Professor Mahmood Yakubu for appointment as Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a second and final term.’ “Prof Yakubu was first appointed by P...

ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE ENDSARS PROTESTS, 22ND OCTOBER, 2020        Fellow Nigerians,   It has become necessary for me to address you having heard from many concerned Nigerians and having concluded a meeting with all the Security Chiefs.   2. I must warn those who have hijacked and misdirected the initial, genuine and well - intended protest of some of our youths in parts of the country, against the excesses of some members of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).   3. On Monday 12th October, I acknowledged the genuine concerns and agitations of members of the public regarding the excessive use of force by some members of SARS.   4. The choice to demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental right of citizens as enshrined in Section 40 of our Constitution and other enactments; but this right to protest also imposes on the demonstrators the responsibilit...

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested one Mrs Nike Lawal, of 30 Anjorin Street, Aminkanle, Lagos State, for driving recklessly and killing two innocent Nigerians at Ikola Road, Alagbado, during the EndSars protest.   The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement released on Thursday, said that Lawal was the driver of Toyota 4Runner SUV with REG. NO. GGE 346 BK that ran into a tricycle. Adejobi said “Ojo Azeez, 27, and Yusuf Sodia, 26, both of Command road, Alagbado, Lagos State, the duo in the tricycle, died on the spot.“   The suspect, who intentionally removed the number plates on her SUV, shortly after the accident, joined the protest at AIT junction, Alagbado, and started driving recklessly before the fatal accident“The Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has commiserated with the families of the deceased and assured them of the command’s commitment to obtain justice in the case,” he said.   Adejobi also said that Odumosu had a...

The Federal Government, states and local government councils have shared N639.901 billion for the month of September, Mr Aliyu Ahmed, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, has said.   Mr Hassan Dodo, Director of Information in the ministry, quoted Ahmed as disclosing this in a statement issued at the end of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting  in Abuja on Thursday.   Ahmed said that the N639.901 billion shared included cost of collection to Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).   According to the permanent secretary, the Federal Government received N255.748 billion, states got N185.645 billion while local government councils had N138.444 billion He added that the oil producing states received N36.188 billion as derivation (13 per cent of Mineral Revenue) while Cost of Collection/Transfer and Refund was N23.876 billion.   Accor...

​ In the finest spirit of democratic, citizen-centred and community policing, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni has today, 11th October, 2020, dissolved the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) across the 36 State Police Commands and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where they hitherto existed. The IGP, while noting that the dissolution of SARS is in response to the yearnings of the Nigerian people, observes that by this dissolution, all officers and men of the now defunct Special Anti-robbery Squad are being redeployed with immediate effect. The IGP notes that the Force is not oblivious of the ever present need to combat armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country which was before now the core mandate of the erstwhile Squad. He assures that a new policing arrangement to address anticipated policing gaps the dissolution of SARS would cause has been evolved and shall be announced in due course. Meanwhile, as part of measures to prevent a re-o...

 President of Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association, Dr. Uma Ukpai has stated that the agitation for Biafra is beyond Igbo presidency, as the struggle started even before the Nigerian civil war in the 60s. He urged those agitating for or against the creation of an Independent State of Biafra to go about it responsibly, stressing that no agitation should result in loss of life. The renowned clergy refuted media publications which tended to portray him as anti- Biafra or anti- Nigeria since he is both a Nigerian and a Biafran. He said, “Rev. Ukpai is a Nigerian; he is also a Biafran. He is one man in three places. I said that the Biafran boys agitating are Nigerians. But when you think of harming your brother, then it is crazy. Every Biafran as of today is a Nigerian until they are handed the flag of their independence. Every man who calls himself a Biafran today is a Nigerian. “We should agitate for whatever we want without killing anybody. I had said it that before and I’m saying it a...

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has banned the personnel of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and other Tactical Squads of the Force from embarking on routine patrols. This IGP’s ban was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Force, Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba. The statement said the IGP “banned the personnel of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and other Tactical Squads of the Force including the Special Tactical Squad (STS), Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Anti-Cultism Squad and other Tactical Squads operating at the Federal, Zonal and Command levels, from carrying out routine patrols and other conventional low-risk duties – stop and search duties, checkpoints, mounting of roadblocks, traffic checks, etc – with immediate effect.” The officers were warned against carrying out stop and search duties, checkpoints, mounting of roadblocks, traffic checks, etc with immediate effect. According to the Force spokesman, the IGP war...

FORMER National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said that he was so sad that the country has not attained its full potentials at 60, adding that this saddens him. He spoke, yesterday, in Benin City, while fielding questions from journalists. Oyegun said: “Things have been tough. What I can say confidently is that the basic foundation of our future growth has been laid, no question in my mind about that but the administration has not been lucky at all. “We have had very tough periods of dwindling resources right from the beginning of this administration and I think that but for careful management, we probably would not have got as far as we have today. There is no question at all.   “There is hunger in the land, the economy is not growing as it should, unemployment is very high, terrorism has raised its ugly head again after initial success and controlling it, cost of production of crude oil now is almost equating what we are getti...

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has finally issued an order suspending the September 1, 2020 hike in electricity tariff for two weeks.   This is in line with the agreement reached with the organised Labour on the suspension of strike over the hike in electricity tariff and increase in pump price of petrol Sunday night.   NERC Tuesday night handed the order to the 11 electricity Distribution Companies, DISCOs, in the country to suspend the recent hike in tariff.   The suspension of the hike in tariff for 14 days in the first instance is to enable wider consultations between the Government and labour with a view to reaching a compromise and resolution of the contending issues involved.   According to the NERC, the tariff suspension will be from September 28, 2020 to October 2, 2020. The Order, No. NERC/209/2020, with the title: “NERC Order on suspension of the Multi Year Tariff Order 2020 for the electricity distribution licensees,...

   The Publisher of Nigerian News Bloggers has called on youths to look into their Financial Recklessness and Bad Habits.  Ifeanyi Valentine, the young Publisher addressing fellow youth through the Nigeria Federation of Catholic Student Alumni Platform of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, highlighted areas that is required of every youth to work.  In his presentation, Valentine said "Personal Financial Planning (PFP) is the task of determining how an individual will afford to achieve his/her strategic goals and objectives that leads to a desired good life and comfort; "Financial planning describes each of the activites, resources and materials that are needed to achieve our life objectives as it relates to our finances".  He said,  "PHP in this context typically involves creating a personal budget, planning for expenses, setting up savings and developing a debt management or recovery plan.   Continuing, in other not to bore you, I will take you str...

                             Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Sarak i A committee for the disbursement of N10 billion palliatives approved for transportation sector operators by the federal government has been set up, Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki has said.   Senator Saraki, who disclosed this on Thursday when the immediate past National President and the incumbent National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Alhaji Najumdeen Yasin, and Prof. Tajudeen Ibikunle Lawal respectively paid her a courtesy visit in Abuja, said the members of the committee are drawn from the Ministry of Transportation and all other relevant stakeholders in the transportation sector. The Minister advised the unions to interface in a bid to form a common front that the Ministry can deal with for ease of distribution.   While congratulating the new Presid...