“And the main reason is that the Appropriation Bill came to the National Assembly with some problems and our committee secretariats are not able to finish processing the budget for us to take today nor tomorrow, nor Saturday nor Sunday because this are periods that are for festivities, Christmas period; Monday, Tuesday are public holidays” ASHENEWS reports that the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has given reasons why the Senate decided to postpone the passage of the 2023 appropriation bill to December 28. Speaking at the commencement of plenary on Thursday, he said although the earlier announcement was that…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
By Zagazola Makama, Maiduguri A 14 year old boy was killed and two others seriously injured as a bomb he mistook to be a metal scrap exploded. The incident occured in Banki town, Bama local government area of Borno state on Wednesday, 21 December, 2022. Sources told Zagazola Makama, a Security Analyst and Counter Insurgency Expert in the Lake Chad, that the young boy and two of his friends unknowingly picked the IED when they went in search for scrap metals in the outskirts of Banki. On their return, the young boy attempted to destroy the object by hitting it with…
BioNTech on Friday initiated an early-stage study to evaluate its experimental malaria vaccine in humans, the German drugmaker said. The Phase 1 trial is expected to enrol 60 volunteers in the United States with no history of malaria to assess the vaccine candidate at three-dose levels. Known as BNT165b1, it is the first vaccine candidate from BioNTech’s malaria project, which will also establish vaccine production in Africa. The effort is one of several focused on addressing the mosquito-borne disease that kills over 600,000 each year, most of them children in Africa. The complicated structure and lifecycle of the malaria parasite has…
The Kaduna Command, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), said it had deployed no fewer than 3,000 operatives across the state to protect critical national assets. The NSCDC Commandant, Idris Adah in a statement by the spokesperson, DSC Habeeb Badamasi on Friday in Kaduna said, the commandant approved the deployment across the 23 local government areas of the state, to guard against any breakdown of laws and order during the festive period. He said the officers would protect lives and property, and also guard against theft of national assets during Christmas and New Year celebrations. He advised residents to always report suspicious…
The Federal Government says it has recorded significant strides in the three major pillars of the present administration since 2015. The major pillars included security, economy and anti-corruption. President Muhammadu Buhari stated this at the Ebonyi Maiden Honours Awards at the state Ecumenical Centre in Abakaliki on Thursday night. Buhari, represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, commended Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi on his shining principles and for the development of the state. “I commend Umahi on his support to the federal government policies on diversification of the economy through agriculture and ensuring food security. “Today, Ebonyi…
By Babagana Bukar Wakil, Maiduguri Borno state government’s high-powered committee on Relocation and Resettlement, Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in collaboration with the Victims Support Fund (VSF) on Saturday, finally closed one of the most populous Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPs) within Maiduguri metropolis, Northeast Nigeria. Gubio camp located along Gubio Road was opened in 2013 accommodating thousands of IDPs from Ngala, Marte, Monguno, Dikwa, amongst others. The chairman of the committee, Eng. Bukar Talba expressed immense gratitude to the chairman of Victims Support Fund, Theophilus Danjuma for always being supportive to the…
The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami has joined members of the board, management and staff to felicitate with two members of FIRS management team for receiving global recognition awards in tax and technology, respectively. ASHENEWS reports that while the Lead of Special Tax Operations Group at the FIRS, Mathew Olusanya Gbonjubola is listed among the World’s Top 50 Tax Persons for the year, the Lead, Digital and Innovation Support Group at the FIRS, 2022, Chiaka Ben-Obi emerged winner of the 2023 ISACA Technology for Humanity Award, for championing efforts to transform Nigeria’s Federal Inland…
The Niger state Commissioner for Internal Security and Humanitarian Affairs, Mr Emmanuel Umaru, said the present administration will use every tactical ways to bring about a robust security in the state. He said this during the 2023 budget screening by the House of Assembly Committee on Security and Intelligence in Minna on Wednesday. Umaru explained that Gov. Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger led administration had made remarkable efforts in enhancing the security architecture to effectively discharge their duties in the state. He said that to strengthen internal security, the ministry had a budget allocation of about N500 million meant to purchase…
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has condemned the attempted but foiled Coup d’état in the Gambia on December 21, reiterating that ECOWAS’ rejection of unconstitutional change of government. The ECOWAS Commission, in a statement made available to journalists said that it was solidly behind the democratically-elected government of the Gambia. It further commended the leadership and personnel of the Gambia security services for foiling the illegal plot. “The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has received with utter dismay and shock the news of an attempted coup in the Gambia. “ECOWAS Commission…
Germany has sent its first batch of BioNTech (22UAy.DE) COVID-19 vaccine to be administered initially to German expatriates in China, a Berlin government spokesperson said on Wednesday. Although no timing and size of the vaccine is mentioned, this will be the first foreign coronavirus vaccine to be delivered to the country. The spokesperson however said Berlin is pushing for foreigners other than German nationals, estimated at about 20,000, to be allowed access to the shot if they want it. The shipment comes after China agreed to allow German nationals in China to get the shot following a deal during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit in Beijing last…