Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’abba has said that governors have been the country’s issue since 1999. Na’abba made the allegation when he hosted a delegation of the Na’abba Youth Organization. According to him, Nigerians were now running from politics because governors have pocketed political parties and now decide who would contest for positions in elections. He said that the governors’ action had crippled the country’s democracy. “Since 1999 governors have been the problem of the country. They contributed to the death of democracy within the political parties. “And when there are no elections within the…
Author: Newsdesk
Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of FBN Holdings Plc (FBNH) and its subsidiary, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. (FBN), ‘B’ from ‘B-’ with a stable outlook. Fitch also upgraded their Viability Ratings (VR) to ‘b’ from ‘b-‘. The global rating agency said this in a report that the upgrade of the Long-Term IDRws that of the VRs, reflects the corporate governance irregularities publicly raised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in April 2021. “This include two longstanding related-party exposures, have largely been addressed and therefore risks to capitalisation have receded, helped by strong internal…
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says democratic elections will contribute significantly to the advancement of Nigeria’s development aspirations. Mr. Deryck Fritz, Chief Technical Adviser for Election from UNDP, made the statement at a two-day workshop for INEC staff ahead of the 2023 general elections. Fritz spoke at the event with the theme: “Review of indicators and capacity building on Election Monitoring and Support Center (EMSC) Report Validation.” He said UNDP, as an entity entrusted with organizing elections, should not be partial, rather it should serve interests of all Nigerians, including women, youths, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, and traditionally marginalised groups.…
An Ikeja Special Offences Court, on Monday, sentenced a 31-year-old teacher, Idowu Daniel, to seven years imprisonment for sexually assaulting his 16-year-old student within a school premises. The convict was charged with defilement. Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo held that the prosecution failed to establish the charge of defilement against the defendant, as the survivor failed to show up in court to testify. “However, the confessional statement by the defendant, which was made voluntarily, showed that he sexually assaulted the minor. “The defendant admitted to have fondled the breast of the victim twice and tried to have sex with her but he could…
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has blocked roads leading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. The mass action is in continuation of their protest against the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities. The students, who defied the heavy downpour, caused gridlock on the road leading to the airport leaving many travellers stranded. The students who were blocked by security operatives from gaining access to the airport took over the road, preventing traffic flow both inward and outward from the facility. The protesters were led by NANS National Taskforce Chairman, Olumide Ojo; Vice…
Internet fraudster Ramon Abbas, popularly known as “Hushpuppi” has tendered his apologies and appreciation to presiding Judge Otis D. Wright and the United States justice system for “upholding the law against criminals like myself.” Hushpuppi apologised for his actions and commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the thorough investigation that saw his arrest in Dubai and prosecution in the United States. According to Peoples Gazette, Hushpuppi, in the handwritten letter addressed to Wright and filed on Friday at the United States District for the Central District of California, took full responsibility for his crimes and apologised to both…
MTN Nigeria Sunday evening commenced commercial 5G launch in Lagos, with the Chief Executive Officer, MTN, Karl Toriola disclosing that the national launch will kick off in Abuja soon. Toriola who made the promise after experimenting capabilities of the network to the public in Lagos on Saturday, said MTN has switched on the network in six geo-political zones with about 223 sites which are being accelerated. MTN is targeting about seven cities including Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja, Maiduguri, Kano and Owerri. Toriola said the same vigour MTN deployed in 2G, 4G and 4G networks is what will be applied…
The new leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) led by Usman Umar Barambu has met with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the protracted strike action that has retained Nigerian students to their homes. A statement by the Secretary General of the association, Usman Babba Kankia obtained by ASHENEWS on Sunday said the meeting which lasted for over six hours, was aimed at charting a way of ending the strike. “Deliberations at the meeting which lasted for over six hours were fruitful. ASUU Professor Victor Osodeke was able to take the new…
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has appointed Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello as the National Youth Coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council. The letter titled: “Appointment as National Youth Coordinator for Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council” and dated August 8, 2022 was personally signed by Tinubu. He stressed that Bello, an aspirant in the June 2022 presidential primaries of the party, deserved the appointment, owing to his impressive political achievements and the exemplary leadership he had demonstrated as governor of his state and as a party member. Tinubu further expressed confidence that the Kogi governor…
Retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme across the South-West zone have called for the payment of their pensions and other entitlements immediately after they disengaged from the public service. In separate interviews on Sunday in the zone, the retirees and other stakeholders said such payments would help in mitigating their hardship and also keep them active for more years before death. The Pension Reform Act, 2004 established the National Pension Commission (PenCom) as a body to regulate, supervise and ensure effective administration of pension matters in Nigeria. Its functions include: regulation and supervision of the scheme established under the Act.…