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  • COP29: Minister of Environment Inaugurates Intra-Ministerial Committee

    COP29: Minister of Environment Inaugurates Intra-Ministerial Committee

    The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has called on the newly formed Intra-Ministerial Preparatory Committee to work diligently in developing the Ministry’s position for the upcoming 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29).
    The event, scheduled to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, will focus on the theme “In Solidarity for a Green World.”
    Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Environment, representing Minister Lawal at the inauguration, emphasized the importance of crafting a strategy that aligns with the national objectives and ensures effective participation at COP29.
    He highlighted the need for inclusivity, equity, and a holistic approach in addressing climate change, urging the committee to advocate for financial mechanisms that support both climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
    Minister Lawal stressed that the committee’s work should be guided by a vision for a sustainable future, and that their decisions would have long-lasting impacts on the nation’s climate commitments.
    He noted that COP29 would serve as both a negotiation platform and an opportunity to strengthen international collaboration on climate action.
    Dr. Salako, who chairs the committee, called on members to reflect on the outcomes of previous UNFCCC conferences, particularly COP28 in Dubai, which underscored the necessity of financing to address loss and damage from climate change.
    He encouraged the committee members, drawn from various professional departments within the Ministry and its agencies, to collaborate effectively to achieve the committee’s objectives.
    In her opening remarks, Dr. Iniagbon Abiola-Awe, Director of Climate Change and Vice-Chairman of the committee, reminded members that their work is a national priority.
     She underscored that the success of Nigeria’s participation at COP29 depends on the timely submission of the committee’s report.
    The last two COP conferences were held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and Dubai, UAE, respectively.
  • Nysc Demobilizes 54 Unical Enrollees

    Nysc Demobilizes 54 Unical Enrollees

    “… a bread seller was mobilized on the graduation list from the same institution, there are bad eggs in many places that generate matriculation numbers and courses for their candidates”
    In its continuous efforts to prevent unqualified graduates from being called up, management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has busted a total of Fifty-Four individuals who were illegally mobilized by the University of Calabar.
    The affected fake enrollees have been demobilized by the NYSC Management.
    NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Yusha’u D. Ahmed disclosed this on Friday in Abuja, adding that the affected individuals shall be prosecuted accordingly.
    Nineteen (19) other fraudsters who attempted to execute online registration for the scheme were flagged and curtailed. Certificates of completion of four (4) had been withdrawn.
    Earlier, One Hundred and One (101) certificates were recently voided by the Scheme, making a total of One Hundred and Seventy-Eight (178).
    The Director General also showered encomiums on the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Professor Florence Obi for her forthrightness by providing the intel which the Service management acted upon.
    Speaking further, General Ahmed said NYSC would leave no stone unturned towards sanitizing its mobilisation process, disclosing, “the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar came here to report that she observed some names appeared on the institution’s list and they ought not to have been there.”
    Previously, a bread seller was mobilized on the graduation list from the same institution, there are bad eggs in many places that generate matriculation numbers and courses for their candidates”, the DG said.
    He emphasised that “Those who are responsible for imputing the data of graduates should be people of integrity.”
  • President Tinubu returns from another foreign trip

    President Tinubu returns from another foreign trip

    President Bola Tinubu returned from his three-day official trip to Equatorial Guinea yesterday. This makes it his 22nd foreign trip barely 15 months after assuming office, May 29th, last year.

    Like his predecessors since 1999, the President is reported to be embarking on these trips in hot chase of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into various sectors of the resource rich Nigerian ecosystem.

    During this last trip, Tinubu and his Equatorial Guinean counterpart, Teodoro Mbasogo, were reported to have signed an agreement on the Gulf of Guinea Pipeline Project.
    The agreement covers legislative and regulatory measures for the gas pipeline, establishment and operation, transit of natural gas, ownership of the gas pipeline, and general principles.

    In previous engagements, two Nigerian companies were reported to have signed Memoranda of Understanding with German counterparts in November 21, 2023 for gas supplies.

    In one of such agreements, it was stated that a certain Nigerian company named Riverside LNG would collaborate with the German company Johannes Schuetze Energy Import AG to provide 850,000 tons of liquefied natural gas to Germany annually. The president’s office stated that gas exports would rise in the coming years, with the first delivery of gas anticipated in 2026.

    Presidential Spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, in an earlier interview on Channel TV talked about how President Tinubu:

    “… is personally conducting an open-door policy to investors from around the world, … to ensure that they have direct access to all of the regulators and government officials that will further enhance the environment in which foreign direct investments will be coming into the country,”

    The President and his team are also seeking investments in other sectors such as electricity, rail transportation, agriculture and others.

    Before President jets out to another oversea destination for what some term as an elusive chase for FDI, experts advise for greater introspection and more strategic outreach, seeing as such forays by previous administrations had remained a wild goose chase.

    As one analyst put it, “investment money is a very discerning guest that goes only to where it is welcome.”

     

  • Fire Guts Seven-Storey Building In Lagos

    Fire Guts Seven-Storey Building In Lagos

    A fire broke out early Friday morning at a seven-storey building on Sanni Adewale Street in the Lagos Island Local Government Area, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed.
    The incident occurred around 5:17 am, prompting an immediate response from firefighters.
    According to a statement by the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, the agency received a distress call shortly after the fire began and swiftly deployed firefighters from the Ebute Elefun, Sari, and Lekki 1 stations to the scene.
    The statement said, “On August 16th, 2024, at 05:17 hours, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service received a distress call regarding a fire outbreak at Sanni Adewale Street, located in the Lagos Island Local Government Area. The fire affected several shops within a 7-storey building.
    “Firefighters from the Ebute Elefun, Sari, and Lekki 1 stations promptly responded, arriving at the scene by 05:33 hours.
    “Thanks to the swift actions of the Lagos State Firefighters, the situation is now under control. Ventilation efforts are currently ongoing in ensuring the safety of all in the area. Preliminary investigations suggest the fire was triggered by an electrical surge. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported.”
  • Bauchi:Senator Buba slams Governor Bala after chieftaincy withdrawal

    Bauchi:Senator Buba slams Governor Bala after chieftaincy withdrawal

    By Caroline Ameh

    Senator Shehu Buba Umar of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to the withdrawal of his chieftaincy title of Mujaddadin Bauchi for allegedly insulting the state Governor Bala Mohammed.

    In a letter addressed to the Emir of Bauchi, Senate Committee Chairman of National Security and Intelligence, expressed his shock at their decision, noting that he adheres to a policy of constructive criticism, refraining from the use of insulting or abusive language.

    Umar said his response to Bala’s “disparaging comments about President Bola Tinubu” was aimed at defending the Nigerian leader against what he perceived as “calculated attempts to tarnish his reputation and sow public discord that could threaten national security.”

    The lawmaker argued that the governor’s rhetoric was “confrontational, accusatory, abusive, and defamatory,” including “emotive language aimed at threatening national security”, and accused him of abusing the people of Bauchi several occasions.

    Senator Umar lamented that though the state government received over N144 billion from the Federation Account in 2023 and more than N47 billion from January to date, the effect of the huge allocation has not been felt by the people.

    The statement reads: “I received with utter shock a letter dated August 14, 2024, informing me of the Bauchi Emirate Council’s decision to withdraw my traditional title of Mujaddadin Bauchi. This decision was made over an allegation that I insulted Governor Bala Mohammed during a rally.

    “Meanwhile, I must state that during a recent APC campaign flag-off, I responded to the Governor’s disparaging comments about the President, which I felt were calculated to expose the President to public contempt and disaffection.

    “In some of the multimedia contents that have gone viral, the Governor’s rhetoric is confrontational, accusatory, abusive and defamatory. Some of the emotive language including President Tinubu of “lying to us,” “deception,” “causing pain,” “anger and hunger” to appeal to emotions.

    “While the allegations by Governor Bala of PDP against President Tinubu of APC are politically motivated, most of them are baseless, unsubstantiated, lacking concrete data and evidence and barefaced falsehood.

    “In my response to Governor Bala’s accusation against President Tinubu, I pointed out the following: I refuted his claim that the Tinubu-led Administration abused the office, instead I accused the Governor of abusing people in Bauchi State.

    “I disclosed that Governor Bala received over N144 billion from the Federation Account in 2023 and over N47 billion from January to date, with a projected N195 billion by the end of 2024. I asked him to justify how he manages the treasury as citizens are crying of hunger.

    “I added that President Tinubu was doing all that is possible to secure the nation, stabilise the economy and ensure peaceful coexistence without polarizing the polity unlike Governor Bala. My remarks were well-intentioned and in defense of a higher authority than a Governor’s.

    “I register my sympathy with the Bauchi Emirate Council for hastily drawing a conclusion on this matter without affording me fair hearing. I accept their decision in good faith, hoping that in due time, Almighty Allah will send a messiah to Bauchi State to correct this situation.

    “I advise the Bauchi Emirate Council to resist any attempt by political actors to drag it into the political arena, serving their selfish interests. I pray for the long reign of the Emir of Bauchi in sound health, effectively piloting the affairs of his Emirate.”

  • NiMet predicts 3-day thunderstorms

    NiMet predicts 3-day thunderstorms

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, has predicted thundery and rainy weather conditions from Thursday to Saturday across the country.
    NiMet’s weather outlook, released on Wednesday in Abuja, forecast isolated thunderstorms over parts of Kebbi, Sokoto, Taraba, Gombe, Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, and Adamawa states during the morning hours.
    According to the forecast, thunderstorms are expected over parts of Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Zamfara, Bauchi, Gombe, and Adamawa states later in the day.
    The agency said in the North Central region, moderate rains are expected over parts of Niger State during the morning, while moderate rains are also expected over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Plateau, Nasarawa, and Benue States later in the day.
    NiMet further revealed that over the southern region, intermittent rains are expected over parts of Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states in the afternoon and evening hours.
    It forecast thunderstorms over parts of Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina, and Kano states on Friday morning, while anticipating scattered thunderstorms across the northern region later in the afternoon and evening hours.
    NiMet predicted isolated rains over parts of Niger, Nasarawa, the Federal Capital Territory, and Plateau States on Friday morning and then forecast moderate rains over parts of Niger, Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, the Federal Capital Territory, and Benue States later in the day.
    The agency also envisaged cloudy skies over the southern region during the morning hours and intermittent rains over parts of the region later in the day.
    For Saturday, isolated thunderstorms are expected over parts of Sokoto, Kaduna, Bauchi, Zamfara, Adamawa, Taraba, and Kebbi States in the morning hours.
    Later in the afternoon and evening hours, widespread thunderstorms are expected across the northern region.
    Over the North Central region, moderate rains are expected during the morning hours over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, and Benue states.
    NiMet forecast thunderstorms with moderate rains over most parts of the North Central region during the afternoon and evening hours.
    It anticipated intermittent rains across the southern region during the afternoon to evening hours.
    NiMet advised residents of major cities to avoid flood-prone areas, as there is a high likelihood of urban flooding in major cities due to heavy downpours.
    Strong winds may precede the rains in areas where thunderstorms are likely to occur.
    The agency advised the public and airline operators to obtain updated weather reports and forecasts from NiMet for effective planning of their operations.
  • Constitution not our problem —Arewa leader, Tanko Yakasai  

    Constitution not our problem —Arewa leader, Tanko Yakasai  

    Akin to the popular saying that a bad workman quarrels with the tools, a founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Tanko Yakasai, has asserted that Nigeria’s challenges stem from its leadership, not the constitution itself.
    Yakasai made this remark in response to a recent call by The Patriots, a group of elder statesmen, who advocated for a new constitution during a visit to President Bola Tinubu.
    In a statement on Wednesday, Yakasai emphasized that without a shift in mindset and behavior among the country’s leaders, even the most well-designed constitution would be unable to bring about progress and stability.
    The statement reads, “I have observed with deep concern the recent visit by some members of The Patriots to the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, where they canvassed for a new constitution for our beloved country, Nigeria.
    “As a founding member of this esteemed group and an elder statesman committed to the well-being of our nation, I must express my reservations about both the process and the content of the submission made during this visit.
    “First, it is regrettable that due process was not followed in articulating the views that were presented to the president. A matter of such national importance requires thorough consultation, inclusive deliberation and the consensus of all founding members.
    “The exclusion of key voices, particularly in a group like The Patriots, undermines the credibility and unity of our mission. It is essential that our decisions and representations are rooted in collective wisdom and not rushed or unilateral actions.
    “Second, I align with the views expressed by President Olusegun Obasanjo that the core problem facing Nigeria is not necessarily the constitution or the tenure of office. The crux of our challenges lies in the attitude and character of those who operate the constitution.”
    He urged President Tinubu to exercise caution and consult widely on the demand by The Patriots.
  • #EndBadGovernance : Mobilisers Of Foreign Flag, Set To Resume Protest

    #EndBadGovernance : Mobilisers Of Foreign Flag, Set To Resume Protest

    #EndBadGovernance : Mobilisers Of Foreign Flag, Set To Resume Protest
    Less than a week after suspending the nationwide protest against hardship in Nigeria which held from August 1st to 10th, the mobilisers say Nigerians have the right to request the assistance of Russian govt and other countries in their struggle against hardship in the country.
    The Protesters at a media briefing in Abuja, insist that they are returning to the streets in the coming days as no amount of accusations and arrests of members will force them to back out of the demonstrations until their demands are met.
    The ten days nationwide protest that occurred in several states except in some south -eastern states in Nigeria was suspended upon the completion of the time frame given to the federal government amid efforts made by security agencies who tear-gassed and arrested some members of the #endbadgovernance protest.
    Over one week after some arrests, some members are still in the security detention centre including Michael Lenin, Sodiq, Opaoluwa and Angel.
    At a media conference in Abuja, the mobilisers defended the decision of Nigerians to raise Russian flag during the demonstration, arguing that the display is an expression of their constitutional right to free speech and solidarity with global struggles against bad leadership.
    The young Nigerians insist that they will not give up their struggle to put an end to bad governance in Nigeria as the group is set to resume the demonstration in coming weeks.
    The mobilisers however, did not reveal to the media a specific date when the protest shall resume.
    They urged Nigerians, particularly members of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the trade union congress, to prepare by refusing every possible attempt by the government to ignore their struggle.
    The mobilisers told the Tinubu-led government not to incite protesters with violent repression as they prepare to return to the streets.
  • Education Is The Game Changer – Atiku

    Education Is The Game Changer – Atiku

    Former vice president and promoter of the American University of Nigeria (@aun), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said education remains one of the most sustainable means of addressing societal changes and assuring the future of children.
    Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said without education, he would not have achieved what he has achieved in life. He said every child should have access to education regardless of family background.
    The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate stated this on Saturday while reacting to a viral video of a child rights activist, Ibrahim Zannah Sunoma.
    Atiku said the government and all stakeholders owe it a duty to help children achieve their destiny by providing access to education for all children.
    In the video, posted by former chairman of Nationa Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Professor Chidi Odinkalu, Ibrahim said banditry activities leading to the destruction of schools, killing of teachers and death of children’s parents are affecting the rights of children to access education.
    Ibrahim said education is the mother of all child rights and the only way for the child of a peasant farmer to become a celebrated icon.
    “If we see every child as our own child, then we will not be here today, because no parent, no leader, no government will want his child in a condition that no horror movie can explain.
    “Education is the only tool with which the child of a peasant farmer can become the celebrated icon of tomorrow and the challenges are very severe.
    “Our schools are destroyed, our teachers killed, our parents mothered, our schools burnt down, we are kidnapped. Even just looking at the physical destruction itself, it is more than that, it’s psychological.
    “It is something that will make you think that the future does not exist for you because education is the future. Children who lack access to education are lacking access to many rights because is the mother of child rights for children. The resources that children need are those destroyed,” he said.
    In reaction, Atiku wrote on his X handle, “I cannot agree more with Ibrahim. Education is the game changer. Without education, we will not all be here. Let’s help our children to share the sunshine, too.
  • Ned Nwoko warns legal action against rumor mongers

    Ned Nwoko warns legal action against rumor mongers

    Politician and prolific polygamist, Senator Ned Nwoko has spoken out against rumours that he passed away while overseas.
    The maverick businessman also responded to recent allegations that he bought a car for a teenage YouTuber, describing the allegations as baseless and misleading.
    “Whether this is a misguided joke or a deliberate act of malice, it has gone too far and will not be tolerated,” he said, expressing his disgust.
    The senator threatened to make arrests and warned those responsible for disseminating these lies to prepare for the repercussions as he declared his determination to take swift legal action against them.
    He made it clear that his approach is to make people responsible for their damaging behavior rather than to use influence.
    Nwoko threatened, saying, “I will not tolerate any attempts to malign my character or to downplay the seriousness of this situation.” Those who engaged in these actions should immediately get ready for possible legal ramifications.