Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has submitted a supplementary budget of N61 billion to the Borno State House of Assembly to address the critical infrastructure needs following the recent flood disaster that ravaged the state. The supplementary budget seeks to amend the previously signed N358.7 billion budget, increasing the total to N419.7 billion. Speaker Abdulkarim Lawan presented the governor’s request during a plenary session on Friday. The September 10 floods severely impacted Maiduguri and surrounding communities, displacing about two million people, submerging vast areas, and destroying approximately 200,000 homes. Governor Zulum emphasized the urgency of the situation, noting that critical…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it sold $543.5 million to authorised dealer banks between September 6 and 30. According to a statement issued by Omolara Duke, the Director of the Financial Markets Department of the CBN, the transaction was through a two-way quote at the Nigeria Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) on 11 dealing days. Duke said that the spot sales were to reduce observed market volatility driven by high demand for commodity imports and seasoned demand for FX. She said that the value date for all the transactions was T+2, which refers to the settlement dates of security…
The Federal Government says 63 items have been exempted from Value-Added Tax (VAT). Taiwo Oyedele, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, disclosed this in a post on X on Friday. The exempted items, according to him, are contained in an official gazette for the ‘Value Added Tax (Modification) Order, 2024,’ dated September 3, 2024. It comes two days after the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, announced the introduction of concessions aimed at revitalising the oil and gas industry to ensure a boost in Nigeria’s upstream and downstream sectors. The minister…
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), formerly Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) has refuted recent media reports circulating false information about its business operations and executive management team. In a statement issued late Friday, GTCO dismissed the allegations as baseless, urging its customers, shareholders, and stakeholders to disregard the misleading news. The company reassured the public that its executive management team is not under any financial or regulatory investigation, as falsely claimed. The statement emphasized that GTCO is taking legal action to address the smear campaign, stating: “Due to the persistent spread of fabricated news concerning our business activities and executive…
Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, has inaugurated the Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival Committee. The event took place this Wednesday at the Council Chamber of the Government House in Birnin Kebbi. The 21-member committee is chaired by the State Deputy Governor, Senator Umar Abubakar Tafida, while the former Head of Service and current Special Adviser to the Governor on Civil Service Matters, Safiyanu Garba Bena, will serve as the Secretary and Director General. During the inauguration, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Yakubu Bala Tafida, announced the names of the committee members. In his inaugural remarks, Governor…
Kaduna State’s health sector has witnessed remarkable advancements under the leadership of Governor Uba Sani, who assumed office on May 29, 2023. In line with his administration’s “SUSTAIN” manifesto, the governor has spearheaded efforts to revolutionize healthcare delivery across the state, focusing on improving infrastructure, service delivery, human resources, and sustainable financing. Addressing press members in a recent briefing, Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Umma Ahmed, highlighted the administration’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and promoting healthy lives for all state residents. With an N71.65 billion allocation to the health sector in the 2024 budget, Kaduna State is…
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has announced that candidates will now be required to pay a fee of N50,000 for the reprinting of their certificates. This new policy was revealed by NECO’s Registrar, Dantani Wushishi, in a statement issued on Tuesday in Minna, Niger State. Wushishi explained that the N50,000 fee is a fixed amount for now but noted that it is “subject to periodic review.” He also clarified that the reprinting request must be made within a specific timeframe. “Requests for certificate reprints will only be accepted within one year of the original certificate issuance,” he said, adding that…
An NGO, the Social, Behavioral, and Communication Change Officer of Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N), Nura Faggo, has called on journalists to shift their focus from merely reporting statistics during disease outbreaks to creating more preventive media content. Speaking at a two-day meeting aimed at building vaccine champions among media professionals in Bauchi, Faggo emphasized the need for the media to adopt solutions journalism. This approach, he noted, would encourage communities to take preventive measures against health emergencies. “Health reporters and producers need to focus on measures communities can take to prevent outbreaks such as cholera, diphtheria, mpox, and Lassa fever…
In a bid to deepen grassroots involvement in reproductive health, the Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SSPHCDA), in partnership with The Challenge Initiative (TCI), has empowered Ward Development Committees (WDC) to lead the charge in promoting family planning services in local communities. This initiative, which covers ten local government areas, marks a shift toward community-led advocacy in reproductive health, particularly focusing on child spacing and access to family planning resources. At the heart of the sensitization effort, which spanned two days, was the message of equipping local leaders and trusted community voices with the tools to break down barriers…
The Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SSPHCDA), in collaboration with The Challenge Initiative (TCI), recently organized a sensitization program for Ward Development Committees (WDC) to enhance awareness and utilization of family planning services across the state. Speaking at the two-day event, Dr. Bello Mohammad Kilgori, the TCI Manager in Sokoto, explained that TCI operates in ten local government areas, including Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Kware, Gwadabawa, Silame, Tambuwal, Wamakko, Wurno, Bodinga, and Dange/Shuni. Dr. Kilgori highlighted that the primary goal of the engagement is to raise awareness of the benefits of family planning and improve access to these services.…