The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has denied reports that its Chairman, retired Col. Muhammad Abdallah has been sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr Jonah Achema, spokesperson for NDLEA, said this while speaking in Abuja on Tuesday. Achema, a Deputy Commander of Narcotics (DCN), said however, that the tenure of Abdallah who was appointed on January 12, 2016 expired on January 11. “The chairman was not sacked as reported by some media organisations. However, his five-year tenure elapsed on January 11,’’ he said.
Author: Editor
Dr Eke Jonathan, General Manager, Formal Sector Department, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), on Tuesday, expressed optimism that Health Insurance “Under One Roof’’ (HIOUR) will help Nigeria to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC). HIUOR is an approach to decentralise insurance practice in Nigeria to sub-national (state) level under a central coordinating entity at the Federal level. Jonathan said in Abuja that NHIS had embarked on some reforms, including a review of the HIUOR document to achieve UHC. UHC means that all individuals and communities receive the health services they need, including the full spectrum of essential, quality health services, from health…
At least 13 people died and about 250 were injured as record snowfall blanketed regions along the Sea of Japan coast, the Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency said on Tuesday. According to the agency and local media reports, three people aged in their 60s and 80s died in Fukui Prefecture, while 47 people were injured in the prefecture in snow-linked accidents. Niigata Prefecture saw four people die as a result of trying to remove snow, the agency said. The three hard-hit prefectures’ officials have requested assistance from the Self-Defence Force (SDF) in rescue operations, local media said. Also, the…
There will be no public access to the Capitol grounds during Joe Biden’s inauguration as U.S. president on Jan. 20, acting Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman said. Pittman took over the leadership from Steven Sund after he stepped down amid criticism of the force’s handling of rioters who breached the Capitol building last week. She said law enforcement from the federal, state and local levels were working together and comprehensive, coordinated plans were in place to ensure safety. Several police officers have been suspended as investigations into the January 6 riot continue, she said. dpa
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced an article of impeachment against outgoing President Donald Trump on Monday, as Republicans blocked a measure calling on Vice President Pence to remove his boss from office. The single impeachment article charges Trump with incitement of insurrection. It accuses him of stoking violence against the U.S. government after a mob of his supporters, riled up by his claims of election fraud, stormed the U.S. Capitol last week. Democrats also introduced a resolution urging Pence to invoke the Constitution’s 25th Amendment and strip Trump of his powers by declaring him unfit to perform…
Acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf is resigning, according to multiple U.S. media reports. Wolf said in a letter to department employees on Monday that he was stepping down due to “recent events” and had originally intended to serve until the end of Donald Trump’s administration, Fox News and CNN reported. An official confirmation was not immediately available. His resignation comes with just over a week left of Donald Trump’s term in office before president-elect Joe Biden is due to be inaugurated. Since the riots at the U.S. Capitol last week, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transportation Secretary Elaine…
Extremists are calling on Trump supporters to “storm” the U.S. Capitol again and stage “armed protests” at state government buildings across the country – including in New York – in the lead-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to the FBI. An internal FBI bulletin obtained by ABC News warns that the armed actions are being planned “at all 50 state capitols” between Jan. 16 and Jan. 20. The U.S. Capitol, which has been under tight security since Wednesday’s deadly pro-Trump attack, faces threats of more armed protests starting Jan. 17 through Inauguration Day, according to the bulletin. A far-right…
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported 1,244 new cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of infections in the country to 101,331. The NCDC disclosed this on its official website late Monday. The agency also confirmed additional three coronavirus-related deaths in the country in the past 24 hours. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that last week the country recorded more than 9,800 cases within seven days, thus surpassing its earlier weekly record of COVID-19 infections. Available data shows that between Jan. 3 and 9, the country recorded 9,833 cases, a sharp increase from the 5,681…
As cases of coronavirus rise higher on daily basis, Nigerian government has said that the January 18, 2021 date earlier slated for schools resumption, might not be visible if the nation’s COVID-19 indicators continue to grow. The Minister of Education, Mr Adamu Adamu gave the hint on Monday in Abuja, at the joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19. The PTF in December 2020, ordered schools in the country to remain closed until January 18, 2021. “When we decided on that date, it was just a target toward what we are working on. “Of course, we…
Nigeria’s Security Services, DSS, says it has uncovered plans to incite religious violence in some states across the country. The Service spokesperson, Mr Peter Afunanya in a statement on Monday named the states to include Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Rivers, Oyo, Lagos and those in the South East. “The Department of State Services (DSS) wishes to alert the public about plans by some elements working with external forces to incite religious violence across the country. Targeted States include Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Rivers, Oyo, Lagos and those in the South East. “Part of the plans is to cause inter-religious conflicts…