Author: Chief Editor

Experts seek succour for GBV victims Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, has assured the vulnerable, especially widows and single mothers, of access to the COVID-19 vaccines, urging gender parity in the administration of the jabs. Speaking at the distribution of palliatives to 93 women groups at an event to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD) and Mother’s Day yesterday in Abuja, the minister urged the governors and their wives to replicate the advocacy in the states. “I am sure Mr. President will ensure that there is an equal distribution between the men and women. So, gender parity will be properly…

The Federal Government has said that the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has no adverse effect. It said yesterday that it was monitoring reports from other countries on all coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines, including AstraZeneca, which had been suspended by some European countries over concerns regarding the Batch ABV5300, adding that it was constantly in touch with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and experts for advice. The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who disclosed this at a briefing by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja, noted that vaccination, which began in the country on March 5, had been uneventful with…

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have signed a two-fight deal for the biggest bout in British boxing history, reports mirror.co.uk. The two heavyweight world champions agreed on terms in principle last year but have now put pen to paper after contracts were finalised. The first fight is expected to take place in June or July with Saudi Arabia in pole position to play host with both fighters set to earn £100 million. And the winner will be crowned the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 after the WBO agreed to waive Joshua’s mandatory responsibilities. Negotiations will…

• Pupils flee as bandits storm Kaduna school, abduct teachers • 17 hunters killed, 25 abducted in Katsina after the discovery of kidnappers’ den • Niger residents recount ordeal, set up refugee camps in bushes • 7,000 villagers flee their homes in Niger State • Killings, destructions in North going out of hand, elders cry out • Allege underreporting of the situation in the region by media Yesterday, armed bandits stormed a primary school in Kaduna State and kidnapped three teachers and an unspecified number of students in Birnin Gwari local government area. The raid by the motorcycle-riding gunmen is the…

The Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) has filed a suit against Federal Government over the just gazetted controversial Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 (CAMA). In the suit filed at Federal High Court, Abuja, CAN is challenging the legality or otherwise of some provisions of the law with which it is not comfortable. The association’s General Secretary, Joseph Bade Daramola, who disclosed the development, in a statement, yesterday, in Abuja said CAN resolve to go to court after all attempts to convince the Federal Government on why it should not intervene or interfere with the management of the Church in…

Eze Onyekpere Understandably, politics and security challenges have taken the front burner of national discourse in recent times, relegating, in the process, economy to the rear. Politics as the determining factor in governance dominates everything and sets the tone for the performance of other sectors. Security is the basis of the confidence for people to engage in their daily tasks – cultural, economic, political, religious and social, etc. However, the economy also influences politics and security. It is obvious that banditry is the topical security issue as a clog in the wheel of political and economic change. We daily witness…

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has invited the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Idris Ahmed, to appear before it to give details of the N57.6 billion grants released by the federal government in 2017. The AGF is billed to appear before the Senator Matthew Urhoghide-led committee tomorrow with a list of the beneficiaries of the N57.6 billion grants to state governments, public and private-owned companies, and contributions to international organisations, among others. The committee is being guided by the 2017 report of the Office of Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF), which queried the AGF over the non-disclosure…

Centre for Credible Leadership And Citizens Awareness has advised some politicians to stay away from the 2023 presidential race in order to create political sanity and cohesion in the country. In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja Monday morning, Dr. Nwambu Gabriel, the Director General of Centre for Credible Leadership And Citizens Awareness said it will amount to greed if certain aspirants from the regions who have enjoyed their share in the on-going political equation still present themselves for the exalted office. “In the interest of federal character, individuals like Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, Mallam El-Rufai, Governor…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to resume its suspended strike over non-payment of salaries and alleged victimisation of members. The chairman of the University of Ibadan branch of ASUU, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, in a statement issued yesterday asked Nigerians to blame the federal government if the union embarks on fresh strike. Akinwole alleged that despite accepting ASUU’s condition before the strike was suspended on December 24, 2020, the federal government still owed many lecturers salaries of between two and 10 months. “While ASUU as a union, and her members as individuals in various branches have remained…

Two seasons ago as Manchester City won the first-ever domestic treble of trophies in England, Pep Guardiola branded the possibility of ever doing a quadruple “almost impossible”. A season characterised by injuries, fixture congestion, player fatigue, coronavirus infections, and for City no pre-season, should have made the feat more improbable than ever. Yet, City remains on course to prove Guardiola’s prediction wrong. A commanding 14-point lead at the top of the Premier League means it is a matter of when not if a third title in four years is sealed. On Tuesday, Guardiola’s men head to Budapest for what should…