By Edith Ike-Eboh The Federal Government says the deregulation of the downstream oil sector is aimed at allowing market forces to determine the prices of petroleum products. “It has become expedient for the Ministry of Petroleum to explain misconceptions around the issue of petroleum products deregulation’’, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva notes. According to him, it is unrealistic to continue to subsidise petrol as it has no economic value. “More so, when the subsidy was benefiting in large part the rich rather than the poor and ordinary Nigerians. “Deregulation means that the government will no longer continue…
Author: Editor
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced the postponement of bye-elections in 11 states earlier scheduled to hold on October 31st, 2020. INEC, in a statement signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye said the decision followed a meeting of the electoral body with the 37 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to review preparations for the 15 bye-elections. “On Wednesday 21st October 2020, the Commission notified the nation that having taken cognizance of the current security situation in parts of the country, a meeting with the 37 RECs will be held to evaluate…
Arsenal scored twice in four minutes to win 2-1 at Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday and spare goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s blushes. This was after his blunder handed the Austrians a shock lead. Taxiarchis Fountas capitalised on Leno’s misfortune to put Rapid Vienna ahead in the 51st minute. David Luiz then headed Arsenal level and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who started from the bench, scored for the win which gave them three points in the Group B match. Arsenal gave a first start to new signing Thomas Partey whose 50 million euro fee is more than the transfer market value…
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the international community to always ascertain all the facts available before taking a position, rushing to judgment and making hasty pronouncements. In a nationwide broadcast on Thursday in Abuja, the president said the call had become imperative in view of the fact that some members of the international community had expressed concern about the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria. The president’s appeal may not be unconnected with the concern expressed by former First Lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton, and former Vice-President Joe Biden on the #EndSARS protests. The Nigerian leader said the choice to…
Fellow Nigerians, It has become necessary for me to address you having heard from many concerned Nigerians and having concluded a meeting with all the Security Chiefs. 2. I must warn those who have hijacked and misdirected the initial, genuine and well – intended protest of some of our youths in parts of the country, against the excesses of some members of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). 3. On Monday 12th October, I acknowledged the genuine concerns and agitations of members of the public regarding the excessive use of force by some members of SARS. 4. The choice…
Under President Muhammadu Buhari, there is a sense that the country could burn to the ground. For years, the name SARS hung in the air here in Nigeria like a putrid fog. SARS, which stood for Special Anti-Robbery Squad, was supposed to be the elite Nigerian police unit dedicated to fighting crime, but it was really a moneymaking terror squad with no accountability. SARS was random, vicious, vilely extortionist. SARS officers would raid bars or stop buses on the road and arbitrarily arrest young men for such crimes as wearing their hair in dreadlocks, having tattoos, holding a nice phone…
PqqBy Vivian Emoni Environmentalists have noted that although vultures are viewed with disdain — and are dirty, ugly and unhygienic birds — they play fundamental roles in protecting the environment by scavenging activities. Underscoring the importance of vultures, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation observed the International Vulture Awareness Day recently, describing vultures as environmental sanitary officers with a clean-up service. Dr. Joseph Onoja, the Director of Technical Programmes of the foundation, explains “without vultures, humans are vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases, because, in the absence of vultures, dogs and rats become the clean-up crew. “The danger in this is…
President Muhammadu Buhari, has finally bowed to pressure by section of Nigerians, to address the nation. Buhari has not addressed the nation in the face of escalating #EndSARS protests that have claimed lives in many states. Individuals and groups have issued statements to call on Buhari to come out and proffer solution to the nation’s problem. However, the spokesperson of the President Femi Adesina, in a statement said Buhari will address Nigerians on Thursday October 22, 2020 at 7pm. “Following detailed briefing by security chiefs on the current situation in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari will make a national broadcast …
The number of people who died in South Korea after being vaccinated against seasonal flu has risen to 17, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday. In the earlier hours of the day, a 74-year-old resident of the northwestern city of Incheon died two days after the seasonal flu vaccination. However, the country’s authorities said they had investigated nine suspicious deaths and saw no link between the vaccination and the fatalities. One of the possible explanation for the deaths was anaphylactic shock, a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine, but this hypothesis had not been confirmed yet. Meanwhile, some 12.97…
The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) says it has invested N8.1 billion on metering network reinforcement, and improving work environment across its franchise within the last seven years of its existence. KEDCO’S franchise includes: Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States. Mr Ibrahim Shawai, Head of Corporate Communications of the company, stated this in a statement on Thursday in Kano. According to Shawai, the power distribution sub-sector, and power sector generally cannot really witness real improvement except there is massive investment. “It is in recognition of this that the company embarked on such investments. “The major concern of our investment is to…