Author: Newsdesk

The Bauchi State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, passed the State Assembly Fund Management Bill, 2021. In his motion for the passage of the bill, the Majority Leader, Mr Tijjani Aliyu, described the bill as crucial for efficient utilisation of legislative funds. According to him, when assented to, the bill will enthrone accountability and transparency in the management of the assembly’s fund. “The bill will empower the house to manage its capital and recurrent expenditures. “It will also create the needed administrative structure to facilitate effective implementation of financial autonomy in the house,” he said Also speaking, the house’s Minority Leader,…

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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N1.7billion for acquisition of permanent office for the Nigeria Extractive Industries, Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and purchase of scanners for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, made this known when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of FEC meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Wednesday. Adesina disclosed that N537 million of the N1.7 billion was approved for NEITI to acquire permanent office in Abuja, N985 million for procurement of Body Dual Scanners Solution with…

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday released a  framework to protect Other Financial Institutions (OFIs) against cyber attack. This was contained in a memo by Nkiru Asiegbu, CBN’s Director, Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department, addressed to the OFIs. Asiegbu said that the framework was necessitated by the number and sophistication of cybersecurity threats and attacks against the OFIs. “Due to the recent increase in the number and sophistication of cyber security threats an attacks OFIs, it has become necessary and mandatory for the sub-sector to strengthen its cyber resilience if it is to remain safe and sound. “Consequently,…

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By Gabriel Agbeja A report from International Air Transport Association (IATA), shows that the aviation industry, including the airlines and its supply chains, is estimated to contribute about $600 million to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to the report, spending by foreign tourists contribute a further $1.1 billion to Nigeria’s GDP, bringing the total contributions to  about $1.7 billion. It further says that only 0.4 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP is currently supported by inputs from the air transport sector and foreign tourists coming into the country. The report further shows that if properly harnessed, the aviation industry could…

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Trading on the nation’s bourse closed on Tuesday, reversing its bearish trend with bargain hunting in Dangote Cement. Precisely, the All-Share Index inched higher by 44.96 points or 0.11 per cent to 39,550.36 from 39,505.40 recorded on Monday. Thus, month-to-date gain increased to 2.6 per cent, while year-to-date loss moderated to 1.8 per cent. Also, the market capitalisation rose by N24 billion or 0.11 per cent to close at N20.606 trillion against N20.582 trillion on Monday. The positive performance was due to investors’ increased buying interest in the industrial sector, as inflation declined further to 17.38 per cent. The positive…

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that vaccination against Ebola for high-risk populations began on Monday in Côte d’Ivoire, following an outbreak in the country on Saturday. In a statement on Tuesday, WHO stated that the swift response came after the vaccine manufactured by Merck, which WHO helped to secure to fight a four-month long outbreak in neighbouring Guinea, was quickly sent to the country. The deployment from Guinea included 2,000 doses that were being used under the “ring strategy,” where people who have come into contact with a confirmed Ebola patient are given the vaccine, as well as…

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President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reconstitution of the standing committee on National Honours Award for a period of four years with effect from Aug. 5. Mrs Anthonia Ekpa, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday, in Abuja. According to Ekpa, the committee chaired by His Royal Highness, Justice Sidi Muhammad (rtd), the Emir of Lafia, has Mrs Farida Waziri (North-West), Muhammed Ja`afaru (North-West), Sale Isa (North-East), Chief Inikio Sam-sele (South-South) as members. Others are: Prof. Lazarus Ekwueme (South-East), Yemisi Shyllon (South-West), Dr Abdullahi Onyekan, Office of the Secretary to…

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Hong Kong researchers say the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Chinese company Sinovac, increases the risk of temporary paralysis of the facial nerve. According to a study by the researchers published in the Lancet on Tuesday, there is a higher risk of developing temporary facial nerve palsy, or Bell’s palsy, in people vaccinated with CoronaVac. The report said this was equivalent to an additional 4.8 cases per 100,000 people, while the number for those vaccinated with the BNT162b2 was an additional two cases per 100,000 people. Scientists from the University of Hong Kong compared health reports collected from patients, who…

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By Abujah Racheal The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has inspected the 699,760 doses of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine donated to Nigeria by the UK Government to step up battle against COVID-19 infection. The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said during the inspection at the National Strategic Cold Store in Abuja on Tuesday that Nigeria was among the first 11 African countries to receive the vaccine. The African countries that got the UK AstraZeneca vaccine donation were; Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and DRC. The shipment of the UK-donated doses was part…

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Katsina state governor, Aminu Masari has called on resident in areas prone to activities of bandits to acquire weapons and defend themselves. Masari noted that it is morally wrong for people to submit cheaply to the bandits without any attempt to defend themselves, according to a statement by his Media Aide, Abdu Labaran, The governor said this during his visit to Jibia town to condole with the families of 10 people that were recently crushed by operatives of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) through reckless driving. According to him, security is everybody’s business, pointing out that it is not the…

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