President Muhmmadu Buhari on Wednesday swore-in Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the second and final five-year term in office. The swearing-in ceremony took place just before the commencement of the weekly virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council, (FEC), in the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Senate had on Dec. 1, confirmed the nomination of Yakubu for re- appointment as Chairman of INEC. Yakubu’s confirmation by the Senate followed the presentation of the report of its Committee on INEC by the Chairman, Sen. Kabiru Gaya during plenary. President Buhari had on…
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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 550 new cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the country. The NCDC on its verified website on Tuesday said that the 550 new cases had taken the total number of infections in the country to 70,195. The agency disclosed that it recorded an additional COVID-19-related death to take the total number of fatalities in the country to 1,182. The new cases, it said, were recorded in 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with Lagos retaining the highest figure of 219 cases. Other states were Kaduna, 52 cases, Kwara, 19; Kano and Rivers, 15 each;…
The Coalition of Okigwe Youths, a political pressure group, barricaded the entrance to the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Owerri, in protest against the outcome of the December 5 Imo North senatorial by-election. Members of the group were seen in a peaceful protest in front of INEC offices on Tuesday, displaying placards with different inscriptions. Some of the inscriptions were : ‘Do not create bad precedence’, ‘Who was candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ? ‘, ‘Obey the rule of law’ and ‘Time for substitution of candidates has elapsed’, among others. Addressing newsmen, the group’s…
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the 36 state governors of the federation to work more with traditional rulers and community members to improve local intelligence gathering that will aid the work of security agencies. The president’s spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement, said Buhari gave the charge at the end of a security meeting with the 36 governors in Abuja on Tuesday. According to the presidential aide, Buhari listened to presentations by a governor from each of the six Geo-Political Zones on their specific security challenges. The president recalled that in the old order communities identified new comers and…
By Tina George, Minna In its determination to discourage examination malpractice in schools, the National Examinations Council (NECO) may derecognize Fabian Kings and Queens International School in Kaduna. This is following a report by the authorities of Signature Television about alleged infractions at the school that night lead to malpractice during the 2020 internal Secondary School Certificate Examination, SSCE. This was contained in a statement by the head of information and public relations division, Azeez Sani and made available to Journalists in Minna. “Authorities of Signature Television had on Wednesday 2nd December 2020 alerted the National Examinations Council (NECO) of…
President Muhammadu Buhari has relieved Dr Nasiru Argungu of his position as the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE). The president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, confirmed this development in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday. The presidential aide revealed that the president’s directive on the sacking of Argungu was issued on Friday, but effective from Monday, Dec. 7 Meanwhile, the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, who supervises the agency, has been directed to nominate an acting Director General from amongst the most Senior Directors in the NDE ”until a substantive holder…
By Ahmed Attahir, Gusau The Zamfara state chapter of the All progressive Congress (APC) has pulled out of the Bakura constituency supplementary election scheduled for Wednesday. Addressing a press conference Tuesday evening at the party Secretariat in Gusau, the chairman publicity committee, Ibrahim Birnin Magaji said the APC took the decision because the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, refused to address the issues at stake. “APC shortly after stakeholders meeting decided to pull out of the election following intimidation, harassment, maiming and large scale violence,” he said. According to him, the gray areas that were not addressed include alleged snatching…
The Sokoto state university, SOSU, has announced plans to commence postgraduate programmes in the 2020/2021 academic session. The information officer of the institution, Zayyanu Shehu made the announcement on his Facebook account on Tuesday. “The much awaited opportunity has arrived, as preparations have reached advanced stage to commence postgraduate programmes by Sokoto State University,” the post reads, adding that details would be provided in due course. AsheNews gathered that university would first present its proposed courses and synopsis to the National Universities Commission, NUC, for approval before the commencement of the programme.
Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor, says adoption of financial inclusion systems will spur business development for sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Moghalu gave the advice at the 2020 edition of the Africa Business Ethics Conference (ABEC), which entered its second day on Tuesday in Lagos. The theme of the conference is “Tackling Corruption to Reduce Poverty and Unemployment in Africa: A Necessity for Building Resilience to Global Risks”. Moghalu also emphasised the need for strong political institutions and strong regulatory reforms to enforce ethical standards that would engender level playing environment for businesses…
The Muhammadu Buhari Administration has always had youths as centerpiece of its policies. Here is a brief compendium of some initiatives put in place, for Nigerian youths, to reposition and empower them: 1. N-Power: 500,000 enrolled in 2 batches between 2016 and 2020 receiving 30,000 monthly, with enrolment of 3rd batch of 400,000 in progress. 2. NYSC Monthly Allowance increased from N19,600 to N33,000; more than 300,000 beneficiaries monthly. 3. 75 billion Naira Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), for businesses owned by young Nigerians aged between 18 and 35: https://www.cbn.gov.ng/Out/2020/CCD/NYIF%20implementation%20Framework%20final%20Sept_30_2020.pdf 4. Special Public Works Programme to provide 3-month employment to…