Author: Our Reporter

The Niger State Government and a US-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Tuesday in Minna signed a N1.2 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve health-care delivery in the state. News Agency of Nigeria reported that Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger signed for the state while Chris Elias, President of Global Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, signed for the foundation. Bello, who decried the neglect of the health sector in the past years, said that the MoU would help strengthen the primary health-care and reduce pressure on the secondary health sector. “Having functional healthcare in each ward will reduce…

Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has warned against what they called “attempt to forcefully resume oil exploration activities in Ogoni.” Mr Legborsi Pyagbara, President of MOSOP, in a statement Tuesday, alleged that Ogoni communities were shut out of the process that resulted in the award of mining licence of OML 11 to an indigenous oil firm, insisting that they would resist any attempt to force any oil firm on the area. Pyagbara frowned at the reported laying of oil pipelines in some parts of Ogoni communities, saying that it violated the rights of the people and could…

Three pupils in Ozubulu/Nnewi, Anambra state are rumoured to have died during free army medical services, leading to indigenes and students of the area scampering for their life. It was reported that some people in military uniform arrived a school in the area and started forcing them to take injection which led to the death of three pupils from yet-to-be identified school. As at 10 a.m. Wednesday, parents were seen hurriedly zooming to schools and taking their respective wards home. Meanwhile, primary and secondary schools in the area are currently under lock. In a similar vein, panic and pandemonium ensued…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged the post-no-debit order it placed on 24 bank accounts belonging to the Peace Corps of Nigeria since June 23, 2017. Justice John Tsoho in a ruling on Tuesday vacated the order after upholding the motion filed by the group and its national commandant, Mr. Dickson Akoh, who are also being prosecuted by the Federal Government before the same court. The judge had placed the post-no-debit on the 24 accounts belonging to Peace Corps of Nigeria, following an ex-parte motion by the prosecution. But Akor and the group, through a motion filed on…

As the Traffic Management Bill undergoes legislative surgery before passage into law, the House has taken the bill meant to correct the wrongs and various transport challenges besetting the state to the public domain for scrutiny. Mr. Onofiok Luke, Akwa Ibom House of Assembly Speaker while declaring open a public hearing on ‘The Bill to Establish the Akwa Ibom State Road Traffic Management Authority and Other Matters connected therewith’ held at E-Library Complex in Uyo, assured to consider valuable contributions made by stakeholders and experts to the proposed state Road Traffic Management bill as part of the final draft without…

A total of 38 suspects were arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Bayelsa State Command in September for various drug-related offences. Spokesman of the command, Osakwe Ikenna said in a statement that 26 male adults and ‎12 female offenders were arrested in possession of 29.751 kilograms of illicit drugs, comprising cannabis, sativa, psychotropic substances, heroin and cocaine. The command noted that the statistics of arrest and seizure, revealed high rate of abuse of psychotropic substances especially tramadol by both old and young people in communities across the state, saying the command between July and September had successfully…

A Jos High Court Tuesday ordered Etisalat Nigeria (9 Mobile) to pay N15 million damages to the plaintiff for trespassing into its personal property. The judgment was based on a suit filed by Christ Best West Africa Ltd- Plaintiff versus Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited (Etisalat Nigeria). The judge, Mr. Justice R.K. Sha, ordered that the plaintiff be given the property, and said the act of running and maintaining the mast on the property amounted to trespass and constituted a nuisance to the rights of the plaintiff to exclusively use and enjoy the property. The judge ordered the company to…

The West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) has stated that examinations malpractice remains the most notorious challenge facing the body. Iyi Uwadiae, WAEC Registrar said this at a news briefing on Tuesday. “Currently, the malaise has assumed dangerous and criminal dimensions on the heels of advancement in technology which created the smartphones, the social media and others”, he said. Uwadiae lamented that exam malpractice had persisted through encouragement by misguided parents, guardians, rogue websites and school owners using sophisticated methods of cheating. “For instance, in the May/June 1993 WASSCE in Nigeria, the results of only 58,494 candidates were withheld because of…

President Muhammadu Buhari has sought an approval of an external loan of $5.5 billion from the Senate to enable the Federal government to finance this year’s budget. Buhari’s request for external borrowing to the tune of $5.5 billion is contained in a letter to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, which was read on the floor of the Senate, Tuesday. In the letter, $3 billion would be sourced through Euro bond; the remaining $2.5 billion  would come from other sources in the international capital market. It would be recalled that 2017 budget is predicated on a debt deficit of N2.1…

The Federal Government Tuesday directed the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) to investigate the cause of rejection of consignment of exported yams from Nigeria to the United States. Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, who gave the directive during a sensitisation walk to mark the 2017 World Food Day, said: “I read some news reports about some yams arriving in Britain and being rejected. They stayed so long en route and if they stay that long, they are bound to rot.” Ogbeh explained why exported yams were rotten, which was due to long distance before arriving…