Author: Akintayo Adams

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has said that he will prolong the wage award payments to employees and retirees in the state by an additional six months. He also addressed allegations made against state governors running on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform that they are failing to provide salaries and pensions to state employees. Recall that on October 6, 2023, the governor authorized the payment of N25,000 to workers and N15,000 to pensioners, respectively, as wage awards. The first six months were scheduled to end in March 2024. Aside from paying the 13th month’s wage each year, Makinde said…

The Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice have been directed by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja to reopen the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the 1986 murder of Newswatch Magazine founder Dele Giwa. In his ruling, Justice Ekwo stated that the AGF has a duty to bring charges against and punish those who murder journalists in the nation. On October 19, 1986, a letter bomb killed Mister Dele Giwa in his Lagos office. In addition to Dele Giwa, the court mandated that the deaths of other journalists while they were…

On Thursday, the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners issued a warning to go on a statewide strike over what they claimed were excessive operational costs brought on by the nation’s growing inflation rates. NARTO is the governing body for all Nigerian commercial transport owners and operators who are involved in the transportation of cargo, people, and petroleum products throughout the nation and the sub-region of West Africa. The Association’s president, Yusuf Othman, stated in a speech on Friday that his members could no longer supply petroleum products since operating expenses now exceed revenue. He clarified that, although actual costs…

Three people were killed and numerous others were abducted on Thursday when gunmen who appeared to be bandits broke into a mosque in Katsina State’s Kankara local government area. During the Isha’i evening prayer session, three people were killed, four others were injured, and an unknown number of worshippers were taken hostage by the bandits, according to a reliable source in the area. He went on to say that the thugs had also entered the town, where they had slain a man who had refused to accompany them and kidnapped two men and a man. The source stated, “Unfortunately, the…

The National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) has been urged to abide with the Lottery Regulatory Commission Act, 2005, by the House of Representatives, which has decided to outlaw sports betting nationwide. At Thursday’s plenary in Abuja, Rep. Kelechi Nwogu (PDP-Rivers) adopted a motion, which was followed by the resolution. It was previously reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that 60 million Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 bet on sports. He claims that inadequate or disregarded sports betting laws have contributed to the increase of mental health issues like addiction, depression, and anxiety. Nwogu said, saying…

The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) have announced their partnership on many projects aimed at increasing Nigeria’s agricultural output. This came after a meeting between the managing director and chief executive officer of NIRSAL, Abbas Umar Masanawa, OON, and the director general and chief executive officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, on Wednesday at the headquarters of NIRSAL Plc in Abuja. Speaking at the meeting, Prof. Anosike said: “The urgency of climate action requires that critical stakeholders collaborate, invest in preparedness and ensure that smallholder farmers are protected by…

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Thursday that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which gauges the rate of change in the prices of goods and commodities, increased to 29.90 percent in January from 28.92 percent the previous month. In January 2023, headline inflation was 21.82 percent; year over year, it was 8.08 percent higher. From 24.32 percent in January 2023 to 35.41 percent in January 2023, the rate of food inflation climbed by 11.10 percent annually. The price rises of bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, oil and fat, fish, meat, fruit, coffee, tea, and cocoa…

The naira fell to N1,600/$1 on Thursday as a result of the parallel market’s response to many directions from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on foreign exchange (FX) pertaining to PTA, BTA, and currency cash pooling. This is a N105 drop in one day. Nonetheless, the naira saw gains in the official Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange (NAFEM) window on Thursday, closing at N1,498.25, up N5.13 from N1,503.38 on Wednesday. The parallel market saw a 7.02 percent single-day depreciation, or N105, dropping from N1,495 to N1,600 from the previous day.

The University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) has announced that at its 28th convocation, which will take place on February 17, 2024, more than 41 of its graduating students would be awarded first-class degrees. In an announcement made yesterday in Abuja during a pre-convocation briefing, the vice chancellor, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, stated that 9,172 students will graduate from the university. Na’Allah provided a breakdown, stating that 1,276 postgraduate and 7,896 undergraduate students would graduate.He said that 1,845 people received second-class upper degrees, 4,842 second-class lower degrees, 1,075 third-class degrees, and 50 previous degrees. “The total number of graduands is 9,172. As you…

In an effort to lessen the demand for dollars in the nation, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered banks to cease paying personal and business travel allowances (PTA/BTA) in cash. While many banks currently pay consumers in cash, some previously only paid into domiciliary accounts or foreign exchange-denominated cards. However, the directive takes effect immediately, according to a circular signed by Dr. Hassan Mahmud, the CBN’s Director of Trade and Exchange, and distributed on Thursday to all approved dealer banks. The circular was headlined “Allowable Channels for Payout of PTA and BTA.” The circular stated that “memorandum 8…