A Political Scientist, Dr Gbade Ojo, has cautioned the National Assembly against imposition of direct mode of primary on political parties in choosing their candidates. Ojo, also a Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin, spoke on Thursday in Ibadan. According to him, it is undemocratic for the National Assembly (NASS) to impose direct mode of primary on any political party. “Such an imposition will amount to an infringement of their fundamental human rights,” he said. Ojo, a onetime Chief of Staff to the late Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, said that political parties should be free to adopt any…
Author: Newsdesk
The Defence Headquarters has said Nigerian troops eliminated more than 128 bandits and arrested 64 others in different operations across North West and North Central zones in the past two weeks. Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, disclosed this while giving updates of military operations between November 11 and November 25 on Thursday in Abuja. Onyeuko said the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji eliminated 118, arrested 12 criminal elements and rescued five kidnapped victims across the theatre within the period. He added that 26 assorted arms and 194 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition were recovered within the period in…
The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, on Thursday, says government will soon establish a special court that will try Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) cases, aimed at ending the menace. Tallen said this while addressing a news conference in Abuja to commemorate the 2021 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, with the theme: “Orange the World, End Violence Against Women Now.” The Day marks the start of 16 Days of Activism on violence against women and girls, an international campaign that takes place each year from November 25 to December 10 to raise awareness on…
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says its personnel would require specialised training on firearms handling ahead of its commencement of night highway patrols. Assistant Corps Marshal, Corps Project Implementation Office, Kingsley Agomoh said this In Abuja on Thursday while answering questions at a seminar organized by the Bureau of Public Reforms. He said that although the Commission had been given the licence to carry arms, it would only do so after the specialised training. “It is one of the reasons we have not started work at night“, Agomoh said while answering questions on traffic management at night. He however…
Sen. Tanko Al-Makura, Chairman, Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Mine, Steel Development and Metallurgy, has called for special funding towards reactivating the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi. He stated this on Thursday while presenting the 2022 budget report of his committee to the Senate Appropriation Committee. Al-Makura (APC-Nasarawa) stressed the importance of the solid minerals sector to the diversification of the economy saying that the company was key to Nigeria’s industrialisation. “The Ajaokuta Steel Company is one of the very vibrant sectors that have been left in deep slumber. “Also, inadequate funding is one of the major problems of the…
The Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) says it is contemplating imposing sanctions, including suspension of member countries that flout rulings of the Community Court of Justice. The move the regional body says stems from the fact that flouting the community court’s ruling was against the dictates of the “Community Texts’’ and which also equates to disruption of democratic processes. A judge of the court, Justice Dupe Atoki said in Lome, Republic of Togo, on Thursday, that the need for sanctions had become necessary in view of the impunity of disobedience by states. Atoke, who moderated a session on…
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved April 2022 as official date for the commencement of the operations of much-awaited Nigeria Air. The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, disclosed this when he along with Ministers of Transportation, and Finance, Budget and National Planning, Rotimi Amaechi and Dr Zainab Ahmed, respectively, briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the FEC meeting. The meeting was presided by President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday. According to Sirika, majority shares of 49 per cent of the Nigeria Air project will be owned by strategic equity partners, 46 per…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has denied reports that it padded N4.5 billion into its proposed 2022 budget. A statement by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi made available to newsmen on Wednesday, said NDLEA was startled by calls seeking clarification on an alleged insertion of N4.5billion for the construction of police barracks into its proposed budget. “This statement is, therefore, a formal response and clarification of reports that suggest that the agency’s budget proposal submitted by the Federal Ministry of Finance was padded with N4.5billion for construction of police barracks. “It is public knowledge that President Muhamadu Buhari…
Global notable COVID-19 vaccines manufacturers, Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna are making combined profits of $65,000 every minute from the sales of the vaccines, even as the world’s poorest countries remain largely unvaccinated, a new analysis by AFP has revealed. The companies have sold the vast majority of their doses to rich countries, leaving low-income nations in the lurch, said the People’s Vaccine Alliance (PVA), a coalition campaigning for wider access to Covid vaccines, which based its calculations on the firms’ own earning reports. The Alliance estimates that the trio will make pre-tax profits of $34 billion this year between them,…
By Justina Auta The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (FMWA) and 100 Women Lobby Group (100WLG), an NGO on Wednesday advocated for increased gender response in budgeting to promote awareness, equity and equality in a gender-sensitive way. Felicia Onibun, National Coordinator, 100WLG, at a workshop on Gender Responsive Budgeting Framework for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Abuja said the event aimed at teaching gender desk officers on gender mainstreaming, gender responsive budgeting, amongst others. Onibun, represented by Irene Ugbah stressed the need for gender budgeting, which should be all inclusive and capture women, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and all…