Author: Chief Editor

The Federal Government is currently meeting with the Joint Action Committee comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions. The PUNCH gathered that the meeting is holding at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Abuja. Among those present in the meeting are the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige; SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim; and NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi. The non-teaching staff in the universities had announced that they would embark on a nationwide strike from February 5, 2021 over the Federal Government’s handling of the Integrated…

Jurgen Klopp says it would be a “miracle” if Virgil van Dijk played again this season after signing Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak to combat Liverpool’s defensive crisis. The Netherlands captain has been out of action after suffering knee ligament damage against Everton in October. The club’s other senior centre-backs, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are also long-term absentees. “No doctor told me there’s a chance for Virgil to play again this season,” Klopp said on Tuesday. “I don’t want to say it’s impossible but it’s not likely.” He added: “I think we have space for Virgil on the Champions…

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has expressed concerns at the alarming rate which illegal immigrants pass through the nation’s land borders to perpetrate crime in the country. Akeredolu raised the concern on Tuesday in Akure when playing host to Mrs Dora Amahian, Zonal Coordinator, Nigeria Immigration Service, Zone F, comprising Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States. The governor said that Nigerians would be shocked to know the number of illegal immigrants who daily come into the country through the land borders. He said that there was a need for urgent action to tackle the issue of illegal foreigners becoming…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will today arraign former Governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The ex-governor will be docked before trial Justice Inyang Ekwo on money laundering related charges. It will be recalled that Kalu, who piloted affairs of Abia State from 1999 to 2007, was earlier found guilty and handed a 12-year jail term by the Lagos Division of the court. The trial court convicted him alongside his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited and a former Director of Finance in Abia State,…

By Femi Falana SAN Introduction From 1999 to 2021, thousands of people have been brutally killed in herders/farmers’ clashes in several States of the Federation. The mindless killings have continued, due to official impunity and negligence which have led to the virtual collapse of the security architecture of the neocolonial State. Hundreds of other citizens have been abducted by gangs of kidnappers and bandits. While some of the abducted people were killed in gruesome circumstances, others were released after the payment of ransoms running into hundreds of millions of Naira by their family members. The hardened criminal elements, have subjected…

Italy’s football federation (FIGC) has opened an investigation into the verbal clash between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku during last week’s Coppa Italia quarter-final, the body said yesterday. The pair, former team mates at Manchester United, had to be restrained as the players left the pitch at the end of the first half, with Inter Milan’s Lukaku seemingly incensed by something AC Milan’s Ibrahimovic said. The BBC reported that a pitchside microphone had picked up Ibrahimovic saying “go do your voodoo” to Lukaku, an apparent reference to 2018 comments from Everton owner Farhad Moshiri that the Belgian turned down an…

• Demands Buhari, political office holders be vaccinated publicly • Don’t listen to conspiracy theorists, SGF tells CAN • Powerful countries hijack vaccines, Ehanire cries out • Minister says 297 deaths recorded in January • You face jail, SGF reminds violators of protocols Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has demanded that planned COVID-19 vaccination should begin with President Muhammadu Buhari and other government officials. The demand came just as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, advised Christian leaders not to take COVID-19 conspiracy theorists seriously. CAN also state the need for officials to be vaccinated publicly…

Liverpool’s injury woes mounted on Monday as defender Joel Matip was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering an ankle ligament injury. Matip was injured in a challenge with Tottenham striker Son Heung-min during Liverpool’s 3-1 win on Thursday. The 29-year-old is the latest Liverpool defender to be hit by a serious fitness issue this season after Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez also sustained injuries from which they are yet to return. “It was really unlucky because it was a brilliant challenge he made actually, he saved our life in that moment in the Tottenham game…

Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, says Nigeria needs to reform its electoral system by adopting electronic voting to help eliminate errors caused by a human factor in compiling results. This was contained in a statement released by Josephine Ademu, Press and Public Relations Officer of the ministry, on Tuesday in Abuja. According to her, the minister said this during a facility visit to the Electronic Development Institute (ELDI) in Awka, Anambra on Monday. The statement said Onu was positive that if the country reformed its electoral system and adopted e-voting, election malpractices, fraud and less credible results…

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike says amendment of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly will be a mere charade if the card reader is not to be used to determine the validity of every vote cast. The governor observed that several attempts to achieve a credible electoral reform had been mired by overriding personal ambition of persons with vested political interest within and outside the National Assembly. Governor Wike, who made this assertion during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics in Port Harcourt, said because most National Assembly members are often preoccupied about the next election,…