Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to stick to and not shy away from his responsibility as the Commander-in-Chief of the Federation, especially in the face of the intractable security challenges across the country. Recall that Presidency was recently reported to have blamed state governors for security lapses in their respective states. However, Tambuwal told a gathering of youths under the aegis of the National Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN), to commemorate the 2021 Democracy Day at the International Conference Center, Kasarawa Sokoto, that the constitution puts the issue of security under the exclusive legislative…
Author: Editor
By Justina Auta President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja, signed a commitment to end all forms of violence and harmful practices against Nigerian children. Buhari made this commitment at a presentation of a 750- word statement presented by the Children’s Parliament on behalf of all Nigerian children at a National Policy Dialogue on Ending Violence Against Children in Nigeria. The president, who was represented by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, decried the increasing cases of violence meted on children, which had affected their development and well-being. According to him, in spite of existing laws and policies to end violence against children, the…
A a Professor of Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition with the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA, Mr Moses Awodun has observed that most terminal illnesses ravaging the society could be linked to the consumption of food crops and fruits produced with the aid of synthetic fertilizers. He made the observation while delivering the 129th inaugural lecture of FUTA titled, “The Nexus of Population, Food Security, Climate Change and Plant Nutrition: Organic Wastes as Alternative Fertilizer in Nigeria,” held in the University auditorium on Tuesday, June 15th, 2021. According to Awodun, “the risk of dying from cancer (brain cancer, prostate…
The Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD, has reacted to Federal Executive Council, FEC, approval for the Federal Capital Authority Development, FCDA, land swap initiative but cautioned that land grabbing, which the initiative was certain to promote, will serve as the major threat to food security in Nigeria. Recall that the Federal Executive Council, at the end of its meeting, had announced that it was resuming the Land Swap Initiative, which government earlier suspended, disclosing that the “objective of the initiative is to address infrastructure gaps in the FCT by providing land to investors who in return will finance…
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Buba Marwa has approved the immediate promotion of 3,506 officers and men to their next ranks after many years of stagnation. A statement by the spokesperson of the agency, Mr Femi Babafemi made available to ASHENEWS on Thursday, the promotion followed “a report by the harmonisation committee set up by Marwa soon after assuming leadership of the agency in January to address the issues of low morale and stagnation in the career path of personnel. “After due consideration of the recommendations by the committee, the NDLEA Chief Executive approved the…
Senior health officials on Thursday said Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases rose by over 20 per cent week-on-week in nearly two dozen in African countries. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, told a news conference that the progress on vaccinating Africans was proceeding slowly, with just 0.79 per cent of people on the continent fully vaccinated. She said “Africa is in the midst of a full blown third wave. We’ve seen in India and elsewhere how quickly COVID-19 can rebound and overwhelm health systems.” Moeti said new cases were up nearly 30 per cent in the past week and deaths were…
Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday said the highly transmissible B.1.617.2 variant of Coronavirus (COVID-19) found in India had been detected in capital Colombo. Dr Chandima Jeewandara, Director of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of Sri Jayewardenepura University, said the variant was detected in five samples obtained from the Dematagoda area in Colombo. He said the variant was earlier detected on two occasions in Sri Lanka but from quarantine centres and not within the community. Scientists say this Delta variant was spreading more quickly than the Alpha variant. Sri Lanka is under a strict nationwide travel restriction which would be…
A senior Chinese epidemiologist says the U.S. should be the priority in the next phase of investigations into the origin of COVID-19. The investigation came after a study showed that the disease could have been circulating there as early as December 2019, state media said on Thursday. The study, published this week by the U.S. National Institutes for Health (NIH), showed that at least seven people in five U.S. states were infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, weeks before the United States reported its first official cases. A China-World Health Organisation (WHO) joint study published in March said COVID-19…
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presided over a virtual meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Under the Nigerian Constitution, the vice president is the chairman of NEC. The council’s meeting is held monthly to deliberate on the coordination of the economic planning efforts and economic programmes of the various levels of government. NEC comprises the 36 state governors, the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, minister of finance, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other government officials whose duties hinge on the economy. At the last meeting on May 20, NEC…
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, dismissed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s request to amend the criminal charge filed against former Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Andrew Yakubu. Justice Ahmed Mohammed, in a ruling, held that granting the EFCC’s application would amount to breaching the decision of the appellate court. Justice Mohammed stressed that there was a subsisting judgment delivered on April 24, 2020 wherein the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, had ordered the defendant to enter defence on Counts 3 and 4 of the charge. The anti-graft agency had, on March 10, sought…