The Kogi State House of Assembly, on Monday, called for the sacking of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, over what the Assembly described as the unprofessional handling of the corruption case against the immediate-past Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello. The legislators, during Monday’s plenary in Lokoja, condemned EFCC’s siege to the Kogi State’s Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, in an attempt to arrest Bello last Wednesday. The lawmakers accused the Olukoyede-led EFCC of attempting to assassinate both Bello and the incumbent Governor Usman Ododo by allegedly firing gunshots during the attempt to arrest Bello in Abuja.…
Author: UZDO Media
The crisis rocking the Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has worsened, as the former governor, Gabriel Suswam, allegedly evicted the party from its secretariat. The building accommodating the party secretariat located on Otukpo Road in Makurdi, the state capital, reportedly belonged to the former governor, who donated it to the party several years ago. The former governor and his successor, Samuel Ortom, had been at loggerheads over the control of the party structure in the state since the beginning of the congresses. The battle for superiority between the two leaders led to the suspension and counter-suspension of…
In Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial centre, markets serve as the lifeblood of daily trade that provides sustenance and livelihood for thousands of traders. But, behind the vibrant economic activities lie an ever-present danger of fire that has brought misery to many and continues to loom large. JOHNSON IDOWU writes on the recurring fire incidents in Lagos markets and how neglect in regulatory enforcement and safety awareness has created a ticking time bomb Lagos markets have long been the nerve centres of trade, from the sprawling Balogun Market to the buzzing Ladipo Market, The Arena Market in Oshodi, Ilepo food market and…
Determined to curtail the illegal activities of some drug dealers, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria has sealed 581 pharmacies in eight local government areas of Adamawa State. The local governments are Yola-north, Yola-south, Mubi-north, Mubi-south, Girei, Numan, Michika, and Demsa. While addressing journalists on Friday, the Director of Enforcement, PCN Pharmacy Stephen Esumobi, disclosed that the affected pharmacies were operating below the stipulated standards of the council. “A total 581 premises were sealed. The promises sealed include 35 pharmacies, 325 patent medicine shops, and 221 illegal medicine shops,” he said. Esumobi, who directed the Adamawa State office of the PCN…
The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission has confirmed that the construction of the $3.5bn Bakassi Deep Seaport is going to begin soon, signaling an advancement for Nigeria’s maritime and economic infrastructure. ICRC’s Director-General, Dr Jobson Ewalefoh, announced this at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting, according to a statement issued on Monday by the acting Head of Media and Publicity, Ifeanyi Nwoko. Ewalefoh said the project would be completed in record time, stressing that the assurance was premised on four factors. He said this is because the Cross River State Government has demonstrated the commitment and zeal required for the project; the newly…
A hunger protester, Babatunde Akande, has dragged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, before a Federal High Court in Abuja over his prolonged detention without trial. Akande said he was arrested while in church on September 1, 2024 for participating in the #Endbadgovernance protests held between August 1 and 10. Akande alleged that since then he had been denied access to his family and had been held in the detention facility of the Intelligence Response Team in Abuja without trial. In the fundamental rights enforcement suit marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/ 1345 / 2024, filed on his behalf by his legal…
The Benue State government has said it is still suffering from the consent judgments, running into at least N3.6bn, entered into by the immediate-past government led by Samuel Ortom. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mnyim, stated this in a telephone chat with journalists on Monday. He lamented that the present administration was still having its account garnished due to a consent judgment entered into by the immediate-past administration. He said a court sitting in Abuja, on Monday, unfreezed N1.9bn from garnished orders two weeks ago. He lamented that some of the consent judgments were…
The average retail price of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, in Nigeria surged by 64.58 per cent year-on-year, reaching N1,406.05/litre in August 2024 compared to the N854.32/litre recorded in the same month last year. This is according to the National Bureau of Statistics Automotive Gas Oil (Diesel) Price Watch Report for September 2024 released on Monday. The sharp rise reflects the persistent cost pressure on consumers as fuel prices continue to climb. “On a month-on-month basis, an increase of 1.93 per cent was recorded from N1,379.48 in July 2024 to an average of N1,406.05 in August 2024,” the report…
Ahead of the October 5, 2024 local government elections in Rivers State, some Caretaker Committee Chairmen loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara have defected to the Action People’s Party. There have been speculations that the governor may dump the ruling Peoples Democratic Party for the APP following the alleged hijack of the state PDP structure by his predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Fubara and Wike have been enmeshed in lingering misunderstanding which led to the political crisis in the state. However, the governor, while playing host to the Board of Trustees of the PDP led…
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Muyi Aina, said too many women still die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, and too many children fail to reach their fifth birthday due to preventable diseases. Aina said this on Monday in Abuja at the ongoing two-day engagement meeting on vaccination, maternal and child health with religious leaders from northern Nigeria organised by the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development with support by NPHCDA. The NPHCDA boss also said Nigeria had recorded a total of 70 cases of circulating variant poliovirus Type 2 from 46…