The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, has confirmed that Nigeria will on Tuesday, March 2, receive the first tranche of COVID-19 vaccines. Mustapha, who is also the chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, made the disclosure on Saturday in Abuja while evaluating the country’s fight against the disease. “They (vaccines) should depart India on March 1, 2021 in the night and arrive in Abuja on the 2nd of March, 2021, ” he said. Nigeria is set to receive its first four million shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX, a global scheme set up to procure…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 341 new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19, bringing the total number of infected people in the country to 155,417. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Saturday. It is exactly one year ago, February 27, 2020, that Nigeria recorded its COVID-19 index case, believed to be the first in Sub-Saharan Africa. Till date, 155,417 cases of the disease have been confirmed, while 133,256 patients have been discharged and 1,905 COVID-19 related deaths recorded in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In the past 24 hours, the…
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, says diversification of the country’s energy mix will stimulate national economy. Speaking at the commissioning of the 1.35 megawatts solar hybrid power plant at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State, Senator Omo-Agege noted that this will also create more robust avenues for national income, fight endemic poverty as well as positively match forward on the path of sustainable economic development. According to the Deputy President of the Senate, the project which is under the Federal Government’s Energising Education Programme (EEP), will produce enough electricity to power the entire…
By Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke In the past few days the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, has been reported by many news media as reaffirming the commitment that Nigeria will achieve at least 30% of its power supply from renewable energy by 2030. It is reported that he reinstated the commitment to this ambitious target while inaugurating a 1.12 MW Solar Hybrid Project at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, in Bauchi State. The intention to have at least 30% of the total electricity supply from renewable energy is very welcome and heartwarming. It signals that Nigeria is committed to the Paris…
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has called on states in Nigeria to shut down in protest if the next student, after those of Niger and Zamfara, is kidnapped by bandits. Soyinka, who was reacting to the recent spate of abductions across the country, spoke during the launch of his latest novel “Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth” in Abeokuta on Saturday. ChannelsTV reports that the literature professor said such abductions were unacceptable and “drastic, meaningful measures” must be taken in unison. “The abductions of our children, when will it end, how will it end? I don’t think anyone of us…
Barely 12 hours after the release of students and staff of Government Science College Kagara and their arrival in Minna earlier this morning, bandits have in a fresh attack on Kagara and some adjourning villages, stormed some villages, killing four people and kidnapping 25 others. PREMIUM TIMES reports that a community leader in Kagara, Musa Kwabe, said eight persons were kidnapped in Kundu and 11 others in nearby Gunna district, adding that four other people were killed from Katako, a neighbouring village where seven persons are still missing. He also told PREMIUM TIMES the bandits rustled many cows in the…
Governor Abubkara Sani-Bello of Niger on Saturday, received the abducted students and staff of Government Science College, Kagara, who were released by their captors. The 27 students, 12 staff and 12 members of a family in the school were abducted by gunmen on Feb. 17. Bello, while receiving the victims, disclosed that 38 students and staff of the school were released by the abductors “I am happy to announce this afternoon the rescue of the 38 abducted students at about 4 a.m. All rescued victims are here, though one is in the hospital suffering from excessive exhaustion. “They are being…
* Over 50,000 cases pending trial; clearing backlog requires tackling 137 cases per day * Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra states top the charts A joint report by India-based Down To Earth and Centre for Science and Environment, CSE, has revealed that environmental crime cases piling up, with courts disposing the cases at snail-pace in India. The “2021 State of India’s Environment (SoE) report”, which was released on Saturday at an online event, was attanded by over 60 environmental thinkers, activists, journalists and academics from across India, and a copy mailed to ASHENEWS. It observed that though with a drop in the number…
The Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to explain why he has failed in protecting Nigerians in the face of insurgency and ba ditry in the country. The group put up the demand in a statement by its spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman made available to ASHENEWS on Saturday. While expressing is excitement by reports that the kidnapped staff and students of Government Science College Kagara, had regained freedom from the armed bandits in Niger, CNG warned “that it is not yet Uhuru and we should not celebrate too early. “Beyond the jubilation, President Buhari owes the nation…
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state, has relieved his Special Adviser on Media, Salihu Yakasai of his appointment. A statement by the Commissioner of Information, Mohammed Garba on Saturday said the sack is “over his continued unguarded comments and utterances, which are deemed contrary to the stand of the All Progressive Congress (APC) government which he is serving,” adding that the sack is with immediate effect. “The aide had failed to differentiate between personal opinion and official stand on matters of public concern and therefore cannot be allowed to continue to serve in a government he does not believe.” The…