Author: Chief Editor

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cautioned Nigerians to stop consuming an organic apple and black currant originating from Australia. NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, who disclosed this, said the products had been certified harmful for human consumption. “The Centre for Food Safety of Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has warned against the consumption of Pure Tassie Organic Apple and Blackcurrant Juice originating from Australia. “This was due to unacceptable level of patulin (a mycotoxin), which had exceeded the maximum limit in fruit juice,” she said. Adeyeye pointed out that the level…

*Commends Dagote, Bill Gates, Emeka Offor President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja said African countries could defeat COVID-19 pandemic the same way it overcame the Wild Polio Virus on the continent. The president made the assertion at the formal certification of the Wild Polio Virus eradication in the African region during the virtual session of the 70th World Health Organisation (WHO) regional committee for Africa in the State House, Abuja. He praised Bill and Melinda Gates, Aliko Dangote, Emeka Offor, United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, GAVI, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union (EU), the…

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja listed nine policy issues that will be the major focus of the remaining three years of his administration. According to him, between now and 2023 when he will complete his second term of four years, he will channel time, energy and resources towards growing the economy, fighting poverty, improving access to quality education, healthcare and enhancing productivity, among others. Buhari, while receiving letters of credence from Ambassadors and High Commissioners of eight countries at the State House, Abuja, said the priority areas were geared towards dictating people-focused policy directions of the federal government in…

Tayo Oke So much has been said and written about sovereignty and loan in reference to China in the last week that the public will have found a little bewildering. That Nigerian loan negotiators willingly signed away the country’s sovereignty at the behest of China; that the negotiators did not even know or bother to find out the terms of the agreement; that they simply signed what amounts to a blank cheque in favour of the Chinese. The National Assembly has been aghast at the turn of events and has been delving into the details. The person fronting the loan…

The trial of Manchester United captain Harry Maguire on charges of “assault”, “bodily harm”, “verbal abuse” and “attempted bribery” opened Tuesday in the criminal court on the Greek island of Syros, according to a judicial source. According to some British and Greek media on the spot, Maguire’s lawyers raised procedural issues which could lead to the trial being postponed. The British international defender was not present. His lawyers told local media that he left the Cyclades last weekend. He could face a maximum prison sentence of seven years, Greek radio station Skai said. The £80 million (88 million euros) defender…

The Federal Government on Tuesday said it has commenced preparatory work for the formulation of new National Development Plans for the country. The Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr Clement Agba, disclosed this at the opening of a three-day capacity building workshop toward the formulation of the new plans in Abuja. Agba said that the plan began with the constitution of 26 Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to work on the strategic themes for the development of credible plans for the county. He said the workshop was organised for TWG Anchors and Heads of Secretariat towards the…

The Federal Government says there will be no more subsidies, either of set-top boxes or Signal carriage as it plans to resume the rollout of Digital Switch Over (DSO), a transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a “Digiteam” meeting to foster dialogue among the various stakeholders in the DSO architecture Mohammed stressed that while the government is looking for money to pay outstanding debts and restart the DSO roll out, the process will be fully private sector driven and self-sustaining. “On our part,…

The World Health Organization (WHO) Independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) for Polio Eradication has officially declared Nigeria and the African Region free of wild poliovirus. President Muhammadu Buhari will this afternoon receive Nigeria’s Poliovirus-free status certificate from the ARCC. This marks the eradication of the second virus from the face of the continent since smallpox 40 years ago. The last case of wild poliovirus in the region was detected in 2016 in Nigeria and since 1996, polio eradication efforts have prevented up to 1.8 million children from crippling life-long paralysis and saved approximately 180 000 lives. In a statement…

FIFA on Monday relaxed the rules on the release of players for the upcoming international window “in light of the recent evolution of the coronavirus pandemic”. Clubs are usually obliged to release players to national teams during those parts of the calendar reserved for international games, however quarantine rules in many countries will make travel impractical, FIFA said in a statement. “Many national governments have again implemented travel and immigration restrictions due to a renewed increase in COVID-19 infections. Some of these measures directly impact international competition, such as mandatory periods of quarantine or self-isolation and travel restrictions,” the statement…

Former Brazil football star Ronaldinho was released on Monday by a Paraguayan judge after spending five months in detention over a forged passport. Judge Gustavo Amarilla also released Ronaldinho’s brother Roberto de Assis Moreira, who likewise had been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, for the same charge. The 40-year-old former World Cup winner “is free to travel to whatever country in the world he wants but he must inform us if he changes his permanent residence” for a period of one year, the judge said.…