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The Interim Management Committee, IMC, of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has said that if it releases the list of those involved in looting the commission, the country will break. The IMC has also accused members of the National Assembly of plotting to stall the forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Executive Director in charge of Projects at the NDDC, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, who made the allegation while speaking to Vanguard in Abuja, said that Nigeria would be shocked if the commission releases the names and calibre of persons involved in contract scam in 2017 and 2019 especially among members of the National Assembly.  Recall that the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday last week approved the forensic auditing of about 12 thousand NDDC contracts. But Dr. Ojougboh alleged that the recent pressure by the National Assembly to probe the activities of the IMC was instigated by the fear of the ...

The Supreme Court will on Monday, deliver judgement in the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, and its candidate in the Kogi Governorship Election, Musa Wada, challenging the election and victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Yahaya Bello as the Governor of Kogi State. Last week, A seven-man panel of the Supreme Court presided by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Mohammed heard the appeal filed by Mr Wada and fixed August 31 to deliver judgement. Mr Wada who lost his appeal at the Election Petition Tribunal claimed that the Kogi election held on November 16, 2019, was riddled with serious electoral infractions, when he approached the Supreme Court after his petition was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on July 4th, 2020 with a split decision of two to one. A five-man panel of justices of the appeal court upheld Governor Bello’s election and ordered Mr Wada to pay a sum of N100,000 each to Governor Bello, the All Progressives Congress (APC), an...

The Christian Rights Agenda has condemned in the strongest terms the substitution of the name of Mr Silas Agara, a Christian from Nasarawa State, as Chairman of the National Population Commission by President Muhammadu Buhari. In a statement, the CRA said the latest action by President Buhari was nothing but a continuation of the government’s Islamisation agenda in which most sensitive Federal Government positions in the executive, legislature and judiciary are being populated by Northern Muslims. CRA recalled that President Buhari had in March 2020 appointed Agara, who is the immediate-past deputy governor of Nasarawa as Chairman of the NPC but was not inaugurated as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.  However, the appointment was withdrawn under questionable and  controversial circumstances following a visit to Buhari by Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, recently where he presented the name of Nasiru Kwarra, a Muslim from Nasarawa, to replace Agara, who is a loyal mem...

Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and her children have recovered from COVID-19, few weeks after they contracted the virus. “My kids and I are fine and COVID free now, and I do not take the experience for granted at all,” the actress posted on her Instagram page on Sunday, thanking God, family and friends for their prayers, calls and messages. “I am grateful to God Almighty the Lord of Lords for all He has done for my family and I. He is truly a dependable Friend if you trust in Him,” she noted. Omotola had on August 15th, disclosed that she contracted the virus, infected her children, and gone into isolation. But the actress who is now free from the virus, went ahead to disclose the kind of lifestyle she adopted during her treatment, warning people to adopt safety protocols as COVID-19 is real. “If you still don’t believe this virus is real, I pray you don’t experience it to believe,” the actress said. “If you ever feel ill during this pandemic, please know there’s nothing to ...

African skin is physiologically different from that of other races. that's why, many Nigerians have found that using just any lotion, or lotions created with Caucasians in mind, may not be satisfactory to Africans. With more and more Nigerians making the decision to stay away from hydroquinone, kojic acid, and other skin bleaching and lightening lotions, preferring to stick to products that nourish and moisturize the skin naturally, the question looms, “which lotions are best for African skin?” Interestingly, when asked, “Which body lotion do you prefer?” 40 percent of respondents initially replied, “Anything with shea butter” before specifying their brand of choice. It is no wonder; even our great grandmothers treasured the precious ori, which, going by our survey, is still an essential commodity in the world of black skincare today, along with its cousin, cocoa butter. Here are 5 lotions Nigerian women found out: 1. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion- Cocoa Butter shows up ag...

The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, has promised to reintroduce serious punitive measures of death on reckless drivers in the state. The decision followed the death of 15 supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a road accident in Tsafe Local Government Area of the state. The accident occurred on Saturday when a truck lost control and rammed into four vehicles conveying the victims along Gusau-Funtua Road in Tsafe. Governor Matawalle who expressed sadness over their death says the new law will ensure that such reckless drivers are compelled by law to pay compensation on every life lost. “We have to make sure that we do everything possible to safeguard the lives of our people. The best way to do it is to make sure that we protect our roads and put some measures to control all the drivers coming in and out of the state. “The state government has initiated some measures so that we can check all the problems. The state government is planning to make sure we have a we...

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over failure to publish details of the N800bn recovered loot . In a statement issued on Sunday by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group wants the Federal Government to “disclose information and documents relating to the names of people from whom N800 billion in looted public funds have been recovered, specific dates of the recovery, and details of projects on which the money has been spent.” The group recalled that during the Democracy Day on June 12, President Buhari revealed that his administration has recovered looted funds more than N800billion which were being used for infrastructural projects. But in the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1064/2020 filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP sought for “an order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus to direct and/or compel President Buhari to publish a comprehensive list of names of ...

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 Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has said that the major concern of religious leaders with the recently enacted Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 is the fear that the processes are not abused in a way that compromises the entire structure and operation of the organisation. Professor Osinbajo who spoke during the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference on Thursday stated that these leaders want to be accountable, contrary to views based on reactions to a section of the act. He maintained that the CAMA 2020 is massive legislation that covers a wide range of issues on companies and if a section is contentious, what the aggrieved parties can do is to approach the National Assembly and propose an amendment. “As a general position, I do not think it will be right to say that pastors don’t want to be accountable. I believe that several Christian organizations and pastors are willing to be accountable. The problem that they may have is ensuring that pro...

Delta Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has identified rising insecurity, poor power supply as the bane of industrialisation and economic growth in Nigeria. The governor stated this on at an interdenominational thanksgiving service to mark the 29th anniversary of the creation of Delta at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter (Anglican Communion), Bishops Court, Asaba. He said that industrialisation of Nigeria was one good strategy to grow the nation’s economy, but observed that “challenges are actually so much that in the world today when you talk about our nation Nigeria, it’s like there is a question mark that follows and tends to limit the investing public from coming to us. “The challenges of insecurity which is very key and very importantly, challenges of power failure which is also very significant limit industrialization. But, we must put our trust in God and allow Him to lead us because His wisdom is greater than the wisdom of the world.” Governor Okowa acknowledged the benefits of a new st...

The Nigerian Ci vil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Thursday said the resumption of international flights has now been shifted to September 5 . The earlier date had been August 29. Director-General of the NCAA, Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, revealed the news during a Presidential Task Force COVID-19 briefing in Abuja. He said while airlines and airports were ready to operate, other non-aviation logistics prompted the one-week extension. “We have other non-aviation logistics we are still working on, mostly the COVID-19 protocol tests and online platform,” he said. “We need to get this ready.” Mr Nuhu described September 5 as a “sacrosanct date”, noting that “the initial announcement was anytime from the 29th.” “In due course, we will be announcing the protocols for the resumptions and we will be giving further details,” he said. “Hopefully early next week, we will release this". Nigeria started to restrict international flights in March as part of efforts to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 v...

The World Bank has approved a $75 million loan to support the Edo State government’s effort at improving its education sector. Governor Godwin Obaseki disclosed this on Thursday during a visit to Usen in Ovia South-West Local Government Area of the state for his re-election campaign rally. He noted that the Board of the World Bank gave the approval on Wednesday, saying it was in recognition of the successes recorded by his administration in the education sector. “I am very glad to inform you that our efforts in revamping education in Edo State and Nigeria have now been richly rewarded. “Yesterday, the Board of the World Bank approved a $75 million facility for the revamping of education in Edo State,” the governor told a crowd of supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the rally. According to Governor, education is very important and the state government has begun working to reposition and re-enact the sector, starting with the basic education. He added, “What that...

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission has arrested 25 officials of Vehicle Inspection Office, Federal Road Safety Corp, Motor Vehicle Licensing Authority, and other persons in connection with driver license and vehicle particulars fraud in Lagos State. The commission said the arrest was made in collaboration with the Department of State Services and Federal Road Safety Commission. ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, on Thursday said the operation was conducted in Ikeja, Somolu, Eti-Osa, and Anthony Licensing Centres.  Other places were Ojo, Oshodi, University of Lagos, Surulere, Agege and Coker centres in Lagos State She said, “The commission received information that the officials connive with louts to extort extra fees from applicants before their driver licenses and vehicles particulars are processed. "Various sums of money and several incriminating documents and equipment were retrieved from the suspects during the operation.”  The commissio...

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Ahmed Idris, has been directed by the Nigerian Senate to investigate the $18.32bn, which the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited claimed to have paid as dividend to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation between 2004 and 2020. Chairman, Senate Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning, Solomon Adeola, gave the directive at the ongoing stakeholders public hearing on the 2021-2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper. The General Manager (External Relations and Sustainable Development) of NLNG, Mrs Eyono Fatai-Williams, had appeared before the panel to present the financial activities of the company from 1999-2019. Fatai-Williams told the panel that the company paid a dividend of over $18bn to NNPC from 2004 to 2019,  while  emphasissing that the NLNG was committed to a culture of transparency and integrity. She  also disclosed that the NLNG remitted $9bn as tax to the Nigerian Government fr...

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has expressed regret for using the word ''Stupid'' on a journalist with Daily Trust during a press conference in Calabar, Cross River state on August 20. The reporter, Eyo Charles, had asked the former Minister who was on a tour of different states in Southern Nigeria if he was being bankrolled by anyone. FFK felt insulted by his question and lashed out at him, calling him ''Stupid''. The former Minister took to his Twitter handle this morning to express regret for using the word ''stupid'' and has now withdrawn it. He also debunked claims he sent some persons to attack the journalist. His tweet reads ''I met with my advisors & I wish to say the following. I hereby withdraw the word "stupid" which I used in my encounter with a journalist in Calabar. I have many friends in the media who I offended by losing my cool & using such words. I hereby express my reg...

The ousted Malian President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, says he is no longer interested in returning to his former office. This was according to Nigeria’s former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, who visited the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday. Dr Jonathan, who is ECOWAS Special Envoy to Mali, was at the Villa to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari on the crisis in the West African country. The meeting comes ahead of an extraordinary virtual summit by ECOWAS Heads of State and Leaders scheduled to take place on Friday. Briefing the President on his recent visit to Mali, Dr Jonathan disclosed that his team was allowed to meet with the ousted President who confirmed that he resigned from office voluntarily. The former president also brought President Buhari up to speed on dialogue with the military coup leaders seeking to stay in power for three years, before holding elections in the country. “They call themselves National Committee for the Salvation of the People,” Dr Jonathan was...

Nigerian University Lecturers have asked the Federal Government to reopen tertiary institutions in the country as they are ready to work following nationwide educational shutdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The lecturers under the aegis of Congress of University Academics (CONUA), a breakaway faction of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), released a press statement on Wednesday August 26, after it held a National Executive Council meeting in Abuja. The statement signed by CONUA’s National Coordinator, Niyi Sunmonu (pictured), and titled ‘Stop intimidation of CONUA members’ reads; “The meeting called on the government to reopen universities as soon as possible as CONUA members are ready to resume work. “Everything necessary in terms of COVID-19 protocols must be put in place before reopening the universities in order to prevent students and staff from contracting the disease. “CONUA further stated that the education sector cannot continue to stagnate, as it appears t...

At Government Secondary School, Zone 3, Abuja, candidates with facemasks sat in a classroom while maintaining a physical distance.

The Senate of the University of Lagos has filed a notice of discontinuance of a suit challenging the sack of Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as Vice-Chancellor of the institution. The notice of discontinuance dated August 24, 2020, was filed through the lawyer of the university’s senate, Professor Taiwo Osipitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). In the suit filed before the National Industrial Court, the university’s senate had kicked against Ogundipe’s sacking by the Governing Council of the institution and his subsequent replacement with Professor Theophilus Soyombo, as acting vice-chancellor. Apart from the governing council, the senate had listed its now suspended Pro-Chancellor, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN); the Registrar, Mr Oladejo Azeez; Professor Soyombo and Professor Ogundipe as defendants in the suit. It also asked the court to declare that Professor Ogundipe’s purported removal by the Governing Council vide an August 12, 2020 letter did not follow due process and was null and v...

Talks between West African nations and Mali’s new junta ended on Monday without a deal on how the country should return to civilian rule following last week’s coup, the two sides said. Separately, they also said that ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita — whose return to office had been initially demanded by the regional bloc ECOWAS — no longer wished to resume duties. The August 18 coup triggered shockwaves among Mali’s neighbours, fearing that one of the region’s most volatile countries would spiral into chaos. ECOWAS — the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States — sent a high-level delegation to Bamako on Saturday, led by former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, to press its demands for the “immediate return to constitutional order.” There were discussions on both sides, given that at this stage nothing has been set down, nothing has been decided, and that as far as we are concerned, the final architecture of the transition will be discussed and defined by us,...

The House of Representatives on Monday defended its decision to suspend activities of its standing and ad hoc committees, saying there was no hidden agenda. It also faulted its Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements for investigating the $500m loan facility Nigeria recently secured from China, saying it had already been approved by the National Assembly and captured in the 2020 Appropriation Act. But before activities of the committees were suspended on Thursday, the Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements had written the Ministry of Transportation,  demanding documents containing loan agreements with China from 2000 to date. Among the facilities the committee is probing is  the  $500m loan secured from China-EXIM Bank to finance railway projects under the Ministry of Transportation. The Peoples  Democratic Party had, on Saturday, asked the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to step aside for allegedly frustrating investigati...

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who is also the Visitor to the University of Lagos, has appointed the Chief Executive Officer of  Channels Television , Mr. John Momoh, as the acting chairman of UNILAG Governing Council. This is contained in a letter dated August 21, 2020 and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono. The letter titled, ‘Emergency Meeting of the Governing Council of University of Lagos’ with reference number FME/PS/606/C.1/III/129, called on Momoh to convene an emergency council meeting with a view to approving the nomination of the Acting Vice-Chancellor for the university. The letter read in part, “I am directed to request you to convene an emergency meeting of the governing council to consider and, if found suitable, approve the Senate nomination of the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos in line with the enabling Act. " You are to preside at the meeting in the absence of the substan...

  The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has vowed to continue the ongoing strike action until the Federal Government meets all its demands. The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Biodun Ogunyemi, who spoke at the University of Port Harcourt, weekend, during an interactive meeting with critical stakeholders, noted that the demands of ASUU were genuine and in the interest of the nation as it concerns implementation of 2012 universities needs assessment. Ogunyemi bemoaned that the Nigerian universities lecturers still receive the same salary scale of 2009 in 2020, noting that the sad reality must be addressed before ASUU would suspend the strike action. He said: “So what we are asking of the government are not baseless things, but those things that in 2012, the government conducted during a NEEDS Assessment survey and found out that there is widespread rot and decay in the university system, we are asking that the government implement its own report of 20...

House mate of the big brother show praise has been evicted from the house, so guess its a farewell for praise.

The final set of materials have arrived to commence construction The project is owned and developed by Mimshack and Israeli based Merkavim.

Professor Akin Abayomi, current commissioner of health in lagos state was confirmed positive  of corona virus. According to the press statement, the commissioner for health, Abayomi, contracted the virus due to “subsequent close contact with persons feeling unwell and testing positive for the COVID-19 infection. “Professor Abayomi became aware of his status following the required testing protocol of contact tracing procedures" Commenting on his health improvement, Omotoso said; “he is doing well with no symptoms”. “Adhering to the protocol of the home-based strategy in Lagos State, the Honorable Commissioner will be isolating in his home for the next 14 days but will continue to discharge his duties both as the Deputy Incident Commander of the Incident Command System for COVID-19 and most especially, as the Honorable Commissioner for Health.  

T Pumpy Concept Limited, developers of T Pumpy Estates, Abuja, has signed Oreofeoluwa Lawal-Babalola, the four-year-old boy in the popular ‘Mummy Calm Down’ video as one of its brand ambassadors. The company also signed Nollywood actors, Femi Adebayo, Tayo Odueke AKA Sikira Sindodo, singer Sule Alao Malaika, Keji Adaralegbe (Baby K) and Osundare Damilare also known as Asiri comedy. Oreofeoluwa signed a two-year contract with the real estate company on Saturday at its corporate headquarters in Abuja. Speaking shortly before the contract was signed, the MD/CEO of T Pumpy Concept Limited, Mr. Akintayo Adaralegbe, said he was moved by the boy’s courage and boldness during the conversation with his mum in the viral video. He described his action as smart, intelligent and resilient. “While many people only watched and laughed over the 3-minute-18-second footage I learnt a lot from it. “He’s courageous, bold and innovative. It reminds us that as a people, no matter the situation, we should le...