Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state says there is no ground for compromise with the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) over the ongoing warning strike embarked by the union in the state. The governor disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview in Kaduna while reacting to the five-day warning strike by labour unions in the state that had entered second day. According to him, the unions have used their last ultimate weapon and it would not change anything. He stressed that “the state government will not change its position.” The governor claimed that the NLC has committed offences bordering on economic…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Tuesday launched a range of new standards for solar system components in line with the nation’s drive for use of renewable energy. The new industrial standards are for solar panels, batteries, inverters, photovoltaic (PV), charge controllers and metering standards. The Director General of (SON), Mallam Farouk Salim, said in Abuja that the initiative was part of the mandate of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP). NESP is a technical assistance programme co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German government. According to him, the new solar components standards will support the federal…
Multichoice Group says it has received more than 140 nominations for the 2021 South African Film & Television awards (SAFTAs) which aim to promote creativity in Africa. “With over 140 nominations, Multichoice’s investments in local television and film production has paid off once more as we lead the way ahead of the most prestigious awards in South Africa”, the group said on their official Twitter handle, @MultiC_Studio, on Monday. “We are excited to once again see most of our shows scoop the bulk of this year’s SAFTAs nominations. “This is a win for local Television and film and demonstrates Multichoice…
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has successfully closed a $1.3 billion dual tenor bond issuance, its largest-ever transaction in the international debt capital markets. The bank announced this in a statement in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday. It said that it printed a $600 million five-year note at a spread of T+185 basis points (bps) and a $700 million 10-year note at a spread of T+220bps. The bank explained that this was after achieving a final order book of $4.5 billion. It said “The Initial Pricing Thoughts (IPTS) were announced at T+220bps area and T+250bps area for the five-year and 10-year…
A Bill for an Act to provide for the procedure and ceremony for transition and assumption of office for the President and Vice President elect on Tuesday passed second reading at the House of Representatives. Rep. Kpam Sokpo, who sponsored the bill, said it was aimed at ensuring smooth transition from one administration to another. He added that the bill would help to facilitate smooth handover between outgoing President and Vice President to the incoming President and Vice President. Rep. Tobi Okechwukwu, the Deputy Minority Leader, while contributing, said the bill would tackle lack of precision on transition programme. He…
Today, leaders from across Africa meet in Paris to discuss plans to recover from the impact of a common enemy – COVID-19. But for African nations from across the Sahel region and beyond, the issues are inseparable from the fight against another common enemy which is terrorism. And like the war against the Coronavirus, it is one we are fully united with France in our strong determination to overcome. Across the world, conflict and Coronavirus have not been far apart. As governments have struggled to contain COVID, jihadists have taken advantage in the Sahel – the vast arid stretch of…
The Commandant of Koffi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Maj.-Gen. Francis Ofori has disclosed that 96 per cent of crew kidnapping on ships and vessels in 2020 took place in the Gulf of Guinea. He made the assertion in Lagos while addressing a five-day Maritime Crimes and Prosecutions Course, which entered its second day on Tuesday. “In a little over 10 years, the Gulf of Guinea region has overtaken pirates activities in the Straits of Malacca and the Gulf of Aden,’’ Gen. Ofori said. According to him, the latest report from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) indicated that piracy and…
President Muhammadu Buhari has sought the approval of the Senate for an external loan of $6.183 billion to fund the deficit of N5.602 triillon in 2021 Appropriation Act. This is contained in a letter addressed to the President of Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan and read at plenary on Tuesday. Buhari said the request was in line with the provisions of section 21(1) and 27(1) of the Debt Management Office (DMO) Establishment Act 2003. He said the loan would be sourced from a combination of multilateral and bilateral lenders and International Capital Market (ICM) through issuance of Euro bonds. Buhari said…
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has confirmed that the federal government of Nigeria has received £4,214,017.66 of the loot associated with the family members of former Delta state governor, James Ibori. This is contained in a statement by the spokesperson of the minister’s office, Dr. Umar Gwandu made available to ASHENEWS on Tuesday. According to the statement of the amount has been credited into the designated federal government account with naira equivalent value of the amount as of 10th May, 2021. Recall that the minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the repatriation of…
Governors of the 36 states of Nigeria are to meet on May 19, to address matters arising from a variety of challenges facing the country. The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) disclosed this in a statement issued by the Head, Media and Public Affairs of its Secretariat, Mr Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo in Abuja on Monday. Bello-Barkindo said the governors at their 30th teleconference meeting scheduled to start by 2pm, would discuss issues such as ongoing conversation over the contentious Executive Order 10 and the third wave of COVID-19 He said the meeting would be the seventh this year and would also discuss…