NDLEA Boss Vows to Intercept Drug Traffickers by Sea
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has affirmed that the agency is fully prepared to arrest drug traffickers and intercept canoes and boats transporting illicit drugs from other countries into Nigeria. Marwa made this statement while decorating eight officers with their new ranks for […]
Military Arrests 71 for Crude Oil Theft in August
In a bid to eradicate crude oil theft in the country, the military high command has said that it is monitoring the Prosecution of culprits perpetrating crude oil theft just as it arrested 71 persons involved in crude oil theft in the month of August alone. The Director Defence Media Operations (DDMO) Maj. Gen. Edward […]
FG, ASUU Meet September 6 To Avert Strike
The Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have reached a compromise to avert the strike threatened by the union. At the end of a meeting yesterday by both parties, a sub-committee was set up to review ASUU’s demands and ensure that all grey areas are ironed out and resolved while the government promised to ensure lasting solutions to the crisis. Briefing newsmen at the end of the closed door meeting, Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman said both parties agreed to reconvene on Sept. 6, while on his part, the ASUU National President, prof. Emmanuel Osodeke expressed hope that all issues would be resolved before the Sept. 6 meeting.
NCC Sets Final NIN-SIM Linkage Deadline
The Nigerian Communications Commission has announced Sept. 14 as final deadline for National Identity Number and Subscriber Identity Module (NIN-SIM) linkage. Its Director of Public Affairs, Dr Reuben Muoka, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said about 153 million SIMs had been successfully linked to NINs, reflecting an impressive compliance rate of 96 percent, adding that it recorded a substantial increase from 69.7 per cent in January 2024. He urged members of the public who have not completed their NIN-SIM linkage, or who have faced issues due to verification mismatches, to visit their service providers promptly to update their details before the deadline, and also reminded the public that the sale and purchase of pre-registered SIMs are criminal offences, punishable by imprisonment and fines.
Health Implications Of Saccharine In Nigeria Baked Bread
The director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Mojisola Adeyeye, has refuted claims that she advised Nigerians to avoid bread baked and sold in the country due to the presence of the banned sweetener saccharine. In a statement yesterday, Dr Adeyeye confirmed that saccharine is indeed banned in bread production in Nigeria, in line with global health guidelines due to its potential health risks to consumers, but NAFDAC never issued any statement suggesting that Nigerian bread is unsafe for consumption. A supposed social media influencer had claimed that NAFDAC advised Nigerians to avoid locally baked bread because samples had failed laboratory tests due to the presence of saccharine, after Nigerian bakesturned to the banned sweetener as a substitute for sugar, which has become expensive due to inflation. She emphasized that NAFDAC, as a vigilant regulator, has been actively sanctioning bakers who violate this regulation while emphasizing that the social media influencer does not represent or speak on behalf of NAFDAC.
18 and below cannot write JAMB
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has declared that candidates under 18 will no longer be permitted to take the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination beginning next year. Speaking during a televised interview, Mamman noted that the minimum required for admission is 18 years according to the country’s education policy, and the federal government only allowed underaged students to take the JAMB examination this year as a form of advance notice to parents for the changes that will take effect next year. Furthermore, the Minister announced that students who have not completed the required minimum number of 17 and a half years in school, will be exempted from participating in both the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams.
NBS Report Shows Growth in GDP
The Presidency says President Bola Tinubu is working to build a solid and resilient economy, as he welcomes the latest report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which shows that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.19% in the second quarter of 2024, higher than the 2.51% recorded in the same period of 2023. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, who made this known in a statement, reiterated the President’s appeal on “the need for Nigerians to retain their faith in the government and not to allow themselves to be swayed by naysayers intent in aborting and undermining the current reforms for their selfish ends.” Further speaking on the GDP report which is coming on the heels of declining food and headline inflation Statistics, Mr Onanuga stated that the NBS report further affirmed that the Nigerian economy is on the right trajectory and on the path to recovery, as the President said in his August 4, 2024 national broadcast, According to the NBS report, the growth rate in the second quarter of 2024 is higher than the 2.51% recorded in Q2 2023 and higher than the 2.98% growth in Q1 2024, largely driven by the service sector.
President Tinubu Appoints New Directors-General of NIA, DSS
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed as the new Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi as the new Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS). According to a statement by Presidential media aide, Ajuri Ngelale, the new appointments followed the resignation of the […]
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Speaks Politics and Policies
Meanwhile, the DirectorGeneral of the World Trade Organization, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has stressed the urgent need for Nigeria to move beyond political infighting and inconsistent policies that have hindered the country’s development since independence. Speaking also at the Nigerian Bar Association Annual Conference, Iweala asserted that concrete collective efforts, rather than a blame game, were needed to move the nation forward. Iweala, who cautioned opposition politicians in Nigeria to desist from weaponising insecurity against the government in power, accused some politicians of instigating insecurity to make their opponents look bad and incompetent to govern. While saying that Nigerians were not alone in economic hardship, she said, Okonjo-Iweala further stated that Nigeria’s inability to sustain growth was largely due to a lack of policy consistency and political will, criticizing what she called: the “not-made-in-my-administration syndrome”, where successive governments fail to build on the successes of their predecessors, leading to economic stagnation.
President Tinubu swears in Kekere-Ekun as Acting Chief Justice
President Bola Tinubu has today Friday 23rd 2024 sworn-in Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the 23rd Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, pending her confirmation by the senate. Kekere-Ekun took the oath of office and signed the oath register at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja, witnessed by Mr President, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Chief of Staff […]