The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Mr Wamkele Mene says 38 countries have now deposited their instrument of ratification of the agreement establishing the AfCFTA. Mene, who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, said that it was at the initial stages of AfCFTA implementation. The 55-member states of the Africa Union (AU) established the AfCFTA to create a single continent-wide market for goods and services and to promote the movement of capital and natural persons. He said though ratifying an international instrument involved a lot of processes but governments were encouraged…
Author: Editor
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio says the final report of forensic audit of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will be ready by the end of July. Akpabio, who fielded questions from State House correspondents on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the final report would be submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for implementation. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had in February 2020 approved the appointment of a lead consultant for the forensic audit of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The minister said that action had been expedited on the process of constitution of the board of…
…Say petitions to mislead Senate rooted neither in law nor equity Legal practitioners from Yusuf Danfako & Co have written to Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan in support of Lauretta Onochie’s nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari as a National Commissioner for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The letter addressed to the Senate President is titled, “Legal issues in support of president Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of Lauretta Onochie as a national commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).” According to the letter, “We have observed with dismay, the the ferocious and atrocious attempt s at misleading this august body by some…
Former governor of Zamfara and leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state Abdul’aziz Yari has commiserated with the family of an All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Bello Gamji. The former governor in a statement he personally signed and made available to ASHENEWS on Tuesday expressed deep shock over the loss. “I was deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the passing away of my immediate lieutenant and close associate who served under different capacities during my tenure as Executive Governor of Zamfara state, Hon. Bello Dankande Gamji, (Walin Bakura) who died yesterday after a…
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) says more than half of Nigerian people are not unconnected to Internet. CITAD’s observation is coming as the nation’s telecommunication regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) begins to review its licensing processes and conditions after nearly 20 years. The Executive Director of the Centre, Mr Y. Z. Yau in a statement made available to ASHENEWS on Tuesday, said the telecommunication sector is highly dynamic such that its regulatory framework has to be equally dynamic, to respond to changes in technological development. “At the beginning of this year, only about 43% of Nigerians…
A High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday sentenced the former Chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on Petroleum Subsidy, Farouk Lawan to seven years in prison. Lawan was found guilty of count one, two, and three charges, which bother on corruptly asking for and obtaining bribe from Mr Femi Otedola, in order to exonerate Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited from the list of companies in the fuel subsidy scam. Count one stated that the former Chairman, ad-hoc committee on monitoring of fuel subsidy regime corruptly asked the Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited,…
The Police Command in Ekiti confirmed that seven people lost their lives, while many other passengers sustained injuries in an auto accident along Ilumoba-Aisegba road in Ekiti on Tuesday. A statement by Mr Sunday Abutu, the command’s spokesperson in Ado-Ekiti, said the incident, which occurred at about 6:00a.m., involved two vehicles on a collision. He gave the identities of the vehicles as a Luxurious bus, marked BDG-47-WT and one Hummer bus with registration number ABC-82-XH. Abutu said the impact of the crash led to the instant death of the seven passengers, including the Hummer bus driver, while several others in…
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) on Tuesday warned that many of the world’s stateless people might miss out of Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination due to their lack of proof of citizenship identity. In its latest report on The Impact of COVID-19 on Stateless Populations, the agency noted that the majority of national immunisation plans did not provide clarity on their coverage of stateless people. “There are millions known to be stateless around the world, without the nationality of any state. “This has hugely damaging impacts on their fundamental human rights, and now they may also be excluded from accessing…
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Tuesday signed agreement with the Federal Government aimed at strengthening sustainable, inclusive food safety and agriculture systems. The Permanent Secretary, Mr Ernest Umakhihe of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and FAO Representative in Nigeria Mr Fred Kafeero signed the agreement in Abuja. Kafeero said that FAO had secured funds for the implementation of three Technical Cooperation Programme (TCPs), in line with the priorities of the federal government as outlined in the FAO Country Programming Framework (CPF) for Nigeria, from 2018 to 2022. The TCPs included focusing on the implementation of the Hand in…
…As Buhari establishes Private Equity Fund President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja inaugurated the National Steering Committee (NSC) of the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS). Speaking at the inauguration, Buhari reiterated government’s commitment to lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in10 years with a well-researched framework for implementation and funding. While the committee would be chaired by the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, members include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Chief of Staff to the President. On the committee are governors of Ekiti state (South West); Delta state (South South); Sokoto state (North…