The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, says as at December 2020, Federal Government recorded 89 per cent release to Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for capital component of the 2020 budget. Ahmed, who made the disclosure at an interactive session with the leadership of National Assembly on Monday, said the 89 per cent was occasioned by the release of N1.74 trillion. She also revealed that N118.37 billion was also released for COVID-19 capital expenditure from the fund. Ahmed said the Nigerian economy faced serious challenges in 2020, with the macroeconomic environment significantly disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic.…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Lt.-Col. Yusuf Dodo, officially assumed duty as Aide-de-Camp to President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Abuja, as Col. Mohammed Abubakar, departed for a promotional course in Chile. Dodo, the Academy Adjutant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), was appointed ADC to the President last month to replace Abubakar. Dodo’s appointment was confirmed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement in January. Abubakar, who handed over on Monday after Dodo understudied him for almost three weeks to learn the ropes of his new responsibilities, in a brief ceremony, was accompanied by…
The freed passengers of the Niger State Transport Authority, who were abducted by armed bandits, say the abductors humiliated them while in captivity. The victims in separate interviews in Minna on Monday said that the bandits made them to trek inside bush amid starvation and beating. Recall that 52 passengers of the transport company were abducted by gunmen in Kundu village of Rijau local government area on February 14, while returning to Minna. One of the victims, Mohammed Ndagi, a civil servant with the state Science and Technical Board, said that their vehicle was intercepted by the bandits at about…
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, says a new variant of COVID-19 has been discovered in Nigeria and 15 other countries. The new strain, B.1.2.5, which is different from the highly infectious B.1.1.7 has, however, not been described as a variant of concern yet. Disclosing this at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing on Monday in Abuja, NCDC Director-General Chikwe Iheakweazu said that researchers and scientists were still working hard to understand if the variant had any effect on the virus’ transmissibility, immunity as well as diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics. “As we shared, a total of 54 cases…
The Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, on Monday, started sensitisation/ mobilisation ahead of its step-down training for 600 crop and livestock farmers in selected Benue communities. The step-down training, an initiative of FAO, aims at training local crop and livestock farmers on alternative fooder/ livestock and commercial opportunities. The training to be conducted by the already trained extension workers, is slated to hold in rural communities between March 1 and March 5. Speaking on the exercise, a cross section of the extension workers said they had successfully mobilised the required number of people for the training. Mrs Tondo Salome, an…
The Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday, ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to pay N10.6 million to veteran journalist, Geoffrey Anika, as damages against unlawfully blocking the highway. The blockage was said to have caused a ghastly motor accident involving Anika in 2012. Anika, is currently a traditional ruler in Atta Kingdom in Ikeduru Council Area of Imo. The amount was awarded in favour of Anika, whose vehicle, a Peugeot 406 was damaged beyond repairs as a result of the unlawful blockage. Justice Babatunde Quadri, while delivering judgment in the suit instituted against the NNPC by Anika, agreed…
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and USAID in collaboration with Partnership Initiative in Niger Delta (PIND), says plans are underway to boost local production of fish in the country. Dr Ime Umoh, Director of Fisheries in the Ministry disclosed this in Abuja on Monday said the aim was to ensure food security and meet huge demand potentials. He spoke at a virtual valedictory workshop on Aquaculture Most Impactful Practice (MIP) under the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Activity. The Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Activity is a five-year (2020-2025)…
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in collaboration SANO Foods Limited, on Monday began a public-private sector initiative to promote the cultivation of improved cassava varieties in Nigeria. The partnership under the Building an Economically Sustainable, Integrated Cassava Seed System, Phase 2 (BASICS-II) began with a joint public exhibition of fortified foods and cassava varietal display in IITA, Ibadan. Dr Kenton Dashiell, IITA Deputy Director-General (Partnerships for Delivery), noted that the partnership was to promote consumption of locally produced products in Nigeria. He said part of the deal was to create awareness on the newly released cassava varieties as…
Gunmen have abducted a lecturer with the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Dr Jones Ayuwo, and attacked three journalists of the Rivers State Television, RSTV. Ayuwo, a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Communications Studies, was kidnapped Sunday night on Andoni-Ogoni Road, Rivers. The victim was said to have been returning from a meeting with members of his local language Bible translation committee when he was attacked. Ayuwo, whose wife is the Bursar of UNIPORT, also serves as a member of the Governing Council of Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rumuola, Port Harcourt. The three journalists, who had covered the committee’s…
The Sokoto office of the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, has seized unclassified films and videos worth millions of Naira. The Executive Director of the Board, Mr Adedayo Thomas, who addressed journalists on Monday, said the films and videos include those with pornographic contents. According to him, the raid would be extended to other parts of the country including Kaduna, Abuja and Lagos. Thomas disclosed that the operation, which was carried out along Ahmadu Bello way, Emir Yahaya road, Abdullahi Fodio road and other locations of Sokoto metropolis, was done in conjunction with the Nigeria police. The Executive…