The Seaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas has bowed to pressure, and withdrawn the controversial bills, which seeks to criminalise refusal to sing Nigeria’s reintroduced national anthem. The speaker caved into heated opposition and outrage that trailed the introduction of the controversial bill which prescribed a 10-year jail term for those who refused to sing the newly reintroduced anthem, ‘Nigeria, we hail thee‘. Abbas, alongside Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other federal lawmakers, passed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law in May at the separate chambers. On May 29, 2024, on the one-year anniversary of the current…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
ASHENEWS reports that the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), has appointed Professor Bashir Garba as the new Vice Chancellor. He succeeds Professor Lawal Bilbis, whose tunure expired recently. A statement by UDUS’ Pro-Chancellor, Professor Attahiru Muhammad Jega, made available to ASHENEWS on Wednesday, said the Governing Council approved Garba’s appointment during its 168th Special Meeting on Wednesday. “The Governing Council, at its 168th Special Meeting held on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, approved the appointment of Professor Bashir Garba as the new Vice Chancellor of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. “The appointment is for a single term of five years and will…
Nigeria’s northern region is experiencing continuous armed violence and a decline in rainfall as a result of climate change, both of which are hurting the region’s mainly artisanal farming population and worsening food insecurity. By Ahmad Sakida The country’s six geopolitical zones are beset by various crises, including insecurity, poverty, hunger, and climate change, as governments struggle to find solutions. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) foresaw this climatic anomaly and issued reports about the late onset and early cessation of rains in some northern states. Despite these warning notes, there is nothing anyone, including local authorities, could do under the current…
De Renaissance Patriots has replied to a columnist, Lekan Sote over his characterization of the Lagos De Renaissance Patriots as a far-right group. According to a statement by the Media Office of De Renaissance Patriots Foundation and made available to ASHENEWS on Wednesday, the socio-cultural group, which is composed of senior, eminent citizens of Nigeria, culturally and constitutionally recognized as indigenes of Lagos State, took exception to Sote’s comments, describing it as “uncharitable, malicious, and reckless language unacceptable.” The Patriots said: “The inflammatory name-calling tarnishes our moral, social, intellectual, and political struggle, which is grounded in the promotion of our…
The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), with support from Feed the Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity (NIAA), has inaugurated 43 Community-Based Seed Entrepreneur (CBSE) cooperatives in Adamawa State. These cooperatives have been certified to produce quality seeds for farmers in the region. Speaking at the certificate presentation ceremony in Yola on Tuesday, Chief of Party NIAA, Prakash Silwa, emphasized the importance of the certification process. Silwa, represented by his deputy, Kayode Faleti, stated that this initiative is part of ongoing efforts to transform agriculture in the North-East. He noted that a total of 122 cooperatives across the implementing states of…
The Federal Government has approved the first phase of Sokoto-Badagary super highway and 63 dam projects. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who disclosed this at the inauguration of a two-day Sectorial Retreat of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and its agencies, on Tuesday in Abuja, further said the government also approved the construction of 63 dams to boost power generation in the country. The retreat with the theme: “Delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda: The Role of Ministry of Information and National Orientation and her Agencies’’ was organised by the Ministry. According to…
Former Presidents Yakubu Gowon, Abdulsalam Abubakar, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari are attending the inaugural Council of State meeting under the administration of President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. ASHENEWS reports that the Council of State meeting is the first being held under President Tinubu administration. While Gowon and Abubakar attended the meeting virtually, alongside the governors of Abia, Adamawa and Akwa Ibom States, Jonathan and Buhari attended physically. The composition of the council is the president as chairman and vice president as deputy chairman, all living former Heads of State and Presidents, all former Chief Justices of…
President Bola Tinubu has officially signed the Judicial Office Holders Salaries and Allowances Bill into law, a significant development in the nation’s legal system. The announcement was made by Senator Basheer Lado, the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, in Abuja on Tuesday. The bill, approved by the National Assembly in June, grants a 300 percent salary increase for judicial officers at both federal and state levels. This legislative action follows the President’s transmission of an executive bill titled “A Bill for an Act to Prescribe the Salaries, Allowances and Fringe Benefits of Judicial Office Holders in Nigeria…
Under thenew directive by NERC, DisCos are now required to establish direct contracts with power Generation Companies GenCos, bypassing the government-owned Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET).
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has commended the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigating allegations of the misappropriation of N90 billion in Hajj subsidies. Auwal Musa, the Executive Director of CISLAC, gave the commendation in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday. Musa described the alleged widespread looting during the recently concluded Hajj exercise as alarming, particularly given the religious significance of the event. According to him, reports indicate that despite substantial payments and the allocation of federal government subsidies, many pilgrims received substandard treatment. He stated that the situation raised serious concerns about…