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  • CJN inaugurates 39 new election petition tribunal members

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola has inaugurated 39 additional members of the 2023 Election Petition Tribunals.

    While swearing them in at the Supreme Court Complex in Abuja, Justice Ariwoola advised them to willingly submit themselves to the sanctity of the rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution in the discharge of their judicial functions.

    Justice Ariwoola also charged them with the power to adjudicate on electoral disputes and take decisions in accordance with their convictions, which according to him, must be deeply rooted in law and not on sentiments or
    public opinion.

    He therefore urged them to be mindful of the oath they had taken and restore the confidence in the judiciary.

    “| pray the Almighty God will grant you the courage and wisdom to carry out this responsibility without faltering or failing. | congratulate you and look forward to hearing good commentaries on your conduct and sterling performance at the end of your assignment,” he said.

  • Makinde dissolves Task Force on waste management

    Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Thursday ordered the immediate dissolution of the state Task Force on Waste Management.

    The Chairman, Transition and Inauguration Committee, Mr Segun Ogunwuyi, made this known in a statement in Ibadan.

    According to Ogunwunyi, the directive takes effect from May 25, 2023.

    Ogunwuyi: “I have the directive of the Executive Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency, Gov. Seyi Makinde, to inform you of the dissolution of the Oyo State Waste Management Task Force with effect from today, May 25, 2023.

    “The Task Force is by this directive required to officially hand over and submit all government properties to the Transition and Inauguration Committee.”

    He said that the governor appreciated the task force for their tremendous contributions to the development of the state, wishing them successes in their future endeavours.

  • 2023 Hajj: Gombe to airlift 2,556 intending pilgrims to S/Arabia

    The Executive Secretary, Gombe State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Sa’adu Adamu, on Thursday said 2,556 intending pilgrims would be airlifted to Saudi Arabia from Gombe through Air Peace Airlines this year.

    Adamu told newsmen in Gombe that the first batch were expected to leave on June 3, and would be in about nine batches because the Aircraft is small.

    According to him, the board had chosen the airline because it was confirmed to be new, while hoping that the process of transporting the intending pilgrims will be completed within nine days.

    He said following the ongoing reconstruction in Saudi Arabia, the accommodation used for previous pilgrimages had been changed to other buildings, but within the location.

    Adamu said the board had decided to maintain the area because the state was used to the environment and hence the efforts made to secure the accommodation for the intending pilgrims.

    On the issue of fees increment of 250 dollars per pilgrim, the executive secretary explained that the Federal Government had intervened to subsidise with 150 dollars per pilgrim.

    He added that the State Government had also weighed in to reduce from the intending pilgrims Duty Tour Allowances (BTA) of 800 dollars to lessen the burden on them.

    He said the increment became necessary because of the extra fuel the airlines would burn to go round Sudan, where the conflict in the country could not allow planes to fly above it. 

  • Breast Cancer Mgt: National Hospital inaugurates Telemedicine Unit

    The National Hospital, Abuja, on Thursday inaugurated its Telemedicine Unit for the diagnosis and staging of breast cancer.

    The hospital’s Head of Radiotherapy and Oncology Department, Dr Uchechukwu Shagaya, at the inauguration, said that the unit was designed to
    help bring specialists closer to patients so they could get prompt care.

    The unit was established in partnership with Pfizer BioPharmaceutical Group.

    Shagaya said: “There is also a seminar on `The Use of Telemedicine in Diagnosis and Staging of Breast Cancer.”

    According to her, late presentation and misdiagnosis of breast cancer are some of the major issues hindering its treatment in Nigeria.

    She added that “one of the problems we have been having is late presentation. Some patients will tell you that I was going to the
    doctor, they told me that there is nothing wrong with my breast.

    “However, with sessions like what we have just had and what we plan to be having regularly, doctors in rural areas who are not
    oncologists will know exactly what they are supposed to do for the diagnosis.

    “By the time they send the patients to tertiary centres, the process has started and nothing has been missed so it will definitely
    improve outcome by improving early detection and treatment.

    “So, if we are able to get every doctor whether from the rural or urban area to hear the lecture we had today, nobody will make a mistake
    with diagnosing patients.”

    Shagaya said that the practice of oncology is usually done in the high end urban regions but that should not deprive those in rural areas
    from getting the best management of cancer related diseases.

    She added that by bridging the gap, doctors would be guided and know how to refer patients for radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

    Speaking on the inaugurated unit, she said it was the first phase of the implementation.

    “So, it is telemedicine that we are inaugurating in National Hospital today. It is phase one where the healthcare provider
    who is a doctor can call a number and speak to another doctor who is a specialist for now for 10 minutes or less.

    “If they want more of the discussion and more detailed discussion, they can actually schedule a virtual meeting.

    “In phase two of this, we plan to actually be able to consult with patients, we are able to do the healthcare provider
    consultation, we are going to do trainings online, webinars and reach out with the help of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA)
    to doctors in rural areas.”

    The Medical Director of Pfizer Biopharmaceutical Group for Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr Soroh Kodjo, said that the benefits of
    using telemedicine for diagnosis of breast cancer are tremendous.

    According to him, there are some patients that will not be able to go abroad for treatment but through this, they will
    be able to access care here in the country.

    “They will be here in Nigeria and still have that expert input in their management; so, it is unquantifiable.

    “Also, Nigeria will save a lot of billions of dollars that would have been spent in going abroad for treatment
    because it is a partnership not just with Pfizer and National Hospital, but also with experts outside the shores of this country.”

    Kodjo also said that because there were limitations to the diagnosis and staging of breast cancer, the group was also
    working not only with the National Hospital but with pathologists across the country.

    This, he said, was with a view to improving capacity to make the right diagnosis so that patients could receive care.

    “So, the collaboration is like using the National Hospital platform to bring this technology. It is the first in this sub region;
    so, we are happy to partner them and that is part of addressing our mission which is reaching the last patient faster.

    “How can we reach the last patient faster? he said, “with this technology, we can.”

  • Police arrest kidnapper, drug peddling suspects in Delta

    The Police Command in Delta has apprehended a kidnap suspect and recovered arms and ammunition from him in the state.

    The spokesman of the command, DSP Bright Edafe, told newsmen on Thursday in Warri that the suspect was nabbed on Wednesday by operatives of the command’s Rapid Response Squad (RRS).

    Edafe said that the suspect was arrested at his hideout in Uvwie Local Government Area following intelligently gathered information about the hoodlum.

    He said that the RRS was led by its commander, Superintendent of Police (SP) Omouwuigbe Nosakhare.

    “Acting on credible intelligence about a suspect who hibernates somewhere in Warri but a member of a dreaded kidnap syndicate, SP Nosakhare, on May 24, 2023, led operatives of RRS and stormed the criminal hideout in Uvwie Local Government Area where the suspect was arrested.

    “A search warrant was executed in his premises where one English Berretta pistol and 15 rounds of 7.62mm AK-47 ammunition were recovered,” he said.

    Edafe said that an investigation into the matter was ongoing.

    In another development, the police spokesman said that the command had arrested a suspected drug peddler in Jeddo Community, Okpe Local Government Area of the state.

    He said that the suspect was apprehended on Wednesday by police operatives attached to the Orerokpe Division while on intensive stop-and-search/visibility patrol on Jeddo Road.

    “The operatives intercepted the suspect with a suspicious-looking bag. He was subjected to a search during which weeds suspected to be Indian hemp were discovered.

    “Other hard drugs in large quantities were found in his possession and packaged in mini rubber cups for sale. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody,” he said.

    Edafe said that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was a notorious drug peddler in Okpe and its environs, adding that efforts to arrest his accomplices are ongoing. 

  • Group tasks Tinubu on fuel subsidy removal

    The Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) has urged the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, to ensure the immediate removal of fuel subsidy, once he assumes office on May 29.
    The Executive Director CTA, Ms Faith Nwadishi said this in Abuja on Thursday.

    According to her, subsidy would have to give way if the country’s economy is to grow, but it should be done gradually.


    “Whether we like it or not, the subsidy has to go for us to grow in this country.
    “I support the removal of subsidy but not to remove it immediately. I thought subsidy was the only way that we can benefit from the Commonwealth.
    “We are not benefiting. We have four refineries in this country that are supposed to produce 445, 000 barrels per day. Now when you refine 445, 000 barrels you get over 70 million litres of petrol.
    “So if we refine our own 445, 000 barrel, we will have excess and be looking for where to take the rest to,” Nwadishi said.
    She urged the incoming administration to place a high priority on the repositioning of the extractive industry as well as addressing Nigeria’s high unemployment rate and the country’s indebtedness.
    “Extractives should be a priority because the extractive sector is our golden goose that lays the golden egg.
    “We must ensure that we make it a priority. We must look at building our economy so that we can address the issue of the debts we have.
    “I know that as a government coming in with this kind of financial situation and crisis we find ourselves, there is no way the government will not borrow.
    “But in borrowing, we need to find ways to block the loopholes such as subsidy,” Nwadishi said.
    The executive director urged Tinubu to develop the solid mineral sector and block all the loopholes in the sector, especially the activities of illegal miners.

    “Tinubu should give a better blueprint with the relationship with China and India in the part they play with extracting our solid minerals without anything coming back to Nigeria.

    “We need to also look at community participation in all of these.

    “The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is also there. We need to ensure that the PIA is working and very well.

    “We have to also look at the issue of security and see how we can gain the trust of Nigerians.

    “The level of insecurity has skyrocketed. We need to look at that very closely.

    “We have to look at our economy and begin to reverse the inflation rate to go back to a single digit. We need to also look at the issue of multi-dimensional poverty in the country,” she said.

  • Sports sector to get N80bn under National Development Plan – Minister

    Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, says the sports sector will receive N80 billion in the next four years, under the Federal Government’s National Development Plan (NDP).

    Dare said this in Abuja while receiving the “Outstanding Youth and Sports Minister” award, presented to him by the Executive Board of Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), led by its President, Habu Gumel.

    The award was presented to the minister for his contributions to sports development in Nigeria and the Olympic movement.

    Dare said that a percentage of the NDP fund for sports sector would go directly to sports federations since they were the main propellers of athletes’ success, which had now been attributed to him.

    “I salute the resilience of the sports federations. Their sacrifices and work in developing sports in Nigeria deserve commendation.

    “In spite of the challenges of funding, they still turn up for international competitions, thereby giving the athletes the needed exposure and training required to compete at the elite level.

    “We all know that without these athletes, nothing is possible in sports, while there will be no achievements,” he said.

    The minister also identified funding as one of the biggest challenges of sports development in Nigeria, a problem, he said that the newly-approved National Sports Industry Policy (NSIP) would alleviate.

    “The incentives outlined in the Sports as Business Policy have been approved and will be announced soon.

    “The technical committee has put finishing touches to the document and it will become fully operational soon.

    “This will drive private sector support for sports and there will be a massive turnaround, as the funding issue will be confronted headlong.

    “In the last four years, the sports ministry had moved from being a third tier ministry to being a first tier one.

    “Just a few weeks back, the Federal Government approved N2.4 billon for a High Performance Centre to be established inside the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

    “Before then, there was the Anti-Doping Centre to be established in Nsukka, Enugu State,” he said.

    Dare commended NOC for offering scholarships to many Nigerian athletes and combining its participation in sports with education.

    Earlier, Gumel commended the minister for his numerous achievements, some of which, he said, included: the emergence of the National Sports Industry Policy (NSIP) and the ‘Adopt Initiative’.

    Other achievements, he said, were the revamping of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), payment of monthly stipends to the families of departed sports icons as well as provision of financial support to ailing former and active athletes.

    According to the NOC president, another remarkable legacy is the delivery of the headquarters and secretariat of Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) by the federal government.

    He recalled that the ANOCA secretariat was inaugurated by the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC), Dr Thomas Bach.

    Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, thanked the minister for his ‘wonderful’ performance in office.

    Abubakar, while wishing Dare well in his future endeavours, called for stronger cooperation between the ministry and the Olympic family. 

  • NDE disburses loans to 103 micro businesses

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has begun disbursement of loans to 100 micro-enterprises in Plateau.

    The disbursement is under its Small Scale Enterprises (SSE) department for beneficiaries of its Start Your Own Business (SYOB) and Micro Enterprise Enhancement Scheme (MEES) programs.

    Speaking at the event, the Acting State Coordinator of NDE in Plateau, Mrs. Asabe Lassa, said that the organisation introduced the orientation/training module to the disbursement following the misconception of the loan as a grant.

    “Most beneficiaries of the disbursement are not aware that the loans are supposed to be paid,” she said.

    She said that the beneficiaries would be trained on financial management, discipline and integrity before they are presented with the loans.

    She said that the loan scheme was approved under the leadership of NDE’s Director General, Malam Abubakar Fikpo following the high rate of unemployment in the country and to also eradicate poverty.

    She urged the beneficiaries to appreciate the efforts of Fikpo by using the loan judiciously and complying with repayment arrangements to enable others also benefit from the scheme.

    “Use the loans and let it grow for the benefit of yourself, business or livelihood and the benefit of your family.

    “Do not collect the money and solve family problems,” she said.

    In his remarks, Head of the Department of SSE, Mr. Victor Otukpa said that the training would build the capacity of business owners on managing their enterprises efficiently.

    He urged the beneficiaries to seek assistance when confronted with challenges in their businesses either with consultants or officials of NDE.

    Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Anna Hosea, thanked NDE for the loan while assuring them that they would make judicious use of it and pay as at when due.

    The 100 beneficiaries of MEES would be given ₦20,000 each while the three beneficiaries of SYOP would be given ₦500,000 each.

    The beneficiaries will be trained on financial management which comprises costing goods, services, and record keeping, financial integrity and insurance.

  • Breaking: Tinubu, Shettima conferred with GCFR, GCON

    The President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima have been conferred with the titles of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), and Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON), respectively on Thursday.

    The investiture ceremony is currently taking place at the State House Conference Center in Abuja.

    More details later…

  • How CBN’s 18.5% interest rate hike will affect businesses

    How CBN’s 18.5% interest rate hike will affect businesses

    *Stock Market, Bond Market, Lending Rate, others, to be affected

    Businesses in Nigeria will have to cope with a higher cost of sourcing funds as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has raised the monetary policy rate (MPR) from 18% to 18.5%.

    The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, announced the decision on Wednesday after the policy-setting committee meeting at the CBN headquarters in Abuja.

    The development is the third consecutive time the apex bank would be raising the MPR, which determines the interest on lending by financial institutions to borrowers.

    Commercial banks, as a result of this development, would have to hike lending rates to customers, which may eventually end up higher than 30%.

    Also, commercial banks are not unlikely to review upward interest rates on debts that borrowers had collected from them due to this development.

    “This is not healthy for businesses to thrive. This has shown that the economy is in dire need of overhaul since it has failed to support funds for businesses. How can businesses survive this kind of rate hike? CBN has been doing this without results,” a development consultant, Celestine Okeke, is quoted as saying.

    Okeke stressed that it was becoming more expensive to do business in Nigeria, saying, “Those who borrowed money would pay higher. Nigeria’s stocks are expected to experience low yield as a result of the rate hike.”

    While data has shown that constant rate hikes have not curbed inflation, experts urged the monetary authorities to change their strategy to tackle the country’s inflation.

    “Both the monetary and fiscal authorities have to find a lasting solution to the rate hike. It is negatively affecting small and medium-scale enterprises, and it is not a good development for the economy,” a business analyst with Arise Television said while reacting to the MPR hike.

    Meanwhile, in a flash note published on April 16, 2023, professional services company, KPMG Nigeria, argued that inflation is cost-pushed and need not be tackled by the monetary authorities through rate hikes.

    “The reversal of inflation in March after a seeming slowdown in February reinforces our view that the determinants of inflation in Nigeria are largely cost-push factors which are out of control of monetary authorities,” the note said.

    Also, in a report titled, ‘Report Card: CBN’s New Naira Policy and Interest Rate Hikes’, a research consultant with Kwakol, Basil Abia, highlighted reasons why the rate hikes by the MPC have not affected inflation.

    “The CBN’s aggressive push to contain Nigeria’s high inflation by deploying monetary tightening as part of its monetary policy through repeated interest rate hikes has not yielded the intended result. Inflation continues to rise unabated, mostly because the monetary tightening approach is not the right way to contain Nigeria’s supply-side or cost-push inflation.

    “It is important to note that Nigeria’s inflation is driven by supply-side concerns that raise the cost of production and, inadvertently, consumer prices.”

    As explained by analysts, the interest rate has a ripple effect throughout the economy, affecting the Nigeria stock market, bond market, lending rate, consumer and business spending, and asset prices, among others.

    If the benchmark interest rate is lower, they said, the lending rate will be lower, making borrowing attractive to people. In turn, there’s more money to spend. Conversely, if the interest rate is high, lending becomes expensive, and there’s less to spend.

    *ICIR