Babafemi Busari

The Lagos State Arewa Community (LASACOMM) on Sunday, May 22 2022, directed its members to comply strictly with Lagos State’s recent ban on commercial motorcyclists (Okada) within the state and its environs through a communique it issued.

In the communique signed by the association’s Secretary General, Musa Saleh, it stated LASACOMM’s commitment to Lagos State’s laws whilst promising to aid the state government’s efforts in enforcing the ban and ridding it of the security threats that necessitated the commercial motorcycles ban.

The communique read in part, “We are law abiding and we will always continue to intimate all our members to continue to be law abiding and operate only within the ambits of the law.&nbsp;

“We support all measures taken by the Lagos State Government in its efforts towards protecting the lives and property of all residents.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We condemn in totality the activities of all criminal elements, who are mostly foreigners from Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon and other neighbouring countries, who have infiltrated the ranks of those genuine riders and thereby perpetrating all forms of crime in Lagos State and constitute serious threats to the lives and property of residents.&nbsp;

“We are calling on the Security Agencies to identify and arrest all those criminal elements masquerading as Okada riders.”

“We are also tasking the Nigeria Immigration Service to step up its actions along the border lines in checking the influx of those foreign elements coming into the country without genuine intention.”

The statement further enjoined its members to abide by the state’s laws while staying away from the stipulated areas as stated by the state authorities.

The Arewa community directed its members to abide by the commercial motorcycles ban.

Hausa community promises to comply with Lagos Okada ban

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has called on fellow presidential aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) that they must all be willing to support whichever candidate emerges victorious at the end of the party’s primary elections.

Osinbajo made the call in a statement that was released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande on Friday, May 20, 2022, detailing the speech he gave during his visit and consultation of delegates in Rivers on Thursday.

In the statement that was titled ‘APC has greatest potential to do the best for Nigeria, says Osinbajo in rivers.’, the Vice President said, “We are all progressives, we represent the same point of view that this country can be better; that we can improve the fortunes of our young people; that our country can be a great place. Every one of us has that desire, and every one of us can achieve that, given the chance.

“Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve pointed out that there is no need for conflict of any kind, especially among presidential aspirants. All of us, who are presidential aspirants, have either worked together or eaten together in one place or the other. We are aspirants today, but only one person would emerge, and we must be prepared to work with that person.”

He continued to stress the importance of unity among the aspirants, “We are also, of course, completely at one on the idea that the party needs to be united. So, everything that needs to be done is being done and will be done to ensure the unity of the aspirants.”

He then concluded by mentioning the importance of the APC towards the presidency as it has the greatest potential to do what is best for the country.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. [Presidency]

The Vice-President has called for unity among the presidential aspirants in the APC.

We must be willing to work with whoever emerges at primaries - Osinbajo

Following the arrest of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an official of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has urged the agency to investigate the&nbsp;IPPIS system in the purview of the AGF.

The call was made by the chairperson of ASUU, Federal University Otuoke (FUO), Bayelsa State, Dr Socrates Ebo, in reaction to the news of the AGF’s arrest.

Ebo decried the inefficiencies of the system that has continually affected the salaries of the union’s members since it was introduced whilst citing the protests of the Auditor General of the Federation and the Head of Service against the system to corroborate his point.

He said, “Since the deployment of the payment platform, no lecturer can say for certain what his salary is. They deduct what they like from the salary and pay what they like to whom they like.

“It had been severally alleged that the payment platform sometimes generates “audio” personnel on the payroll. Someone who could allegedly pilfer N80 billion naira from public coffers cannot possibly pay Nigerian workers their due salaries with sincerity.

“The AGF is the manager of the IPPIS. EFCC should extend its searchlight on the administration of the payment platform. I believe it will make interesting finds. It is no longer news that both the Auditor General of the Federation and the Head of Service had separately decried the corruption in IPPIS.”

Ebo hoped that the anti-graft agency would heed his call to investigate the issue.

The striking lecturers have urged the anti-graft agency to extend its searchlight to the payment administration system

ASUU calls on EFCC to investigate IPPIS in the wake of AGF arrest

The Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi has on Tuesday, May 17 2022, released a statement debunking the accusations of rigging levelled against him by a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The former Governor of Edo State, Oshiomhole had on Monday, May 16, 2022, claimed during an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Political Paradigm’ that Fayemi had sought his assistance in committing electoral fraud, as he reflected on his activities as the APC National Chairman.

Recounting his encounter with Fayemi, Oshiomhole said,&nbsp;“I said it in one of the meetings I had with governor Kayode Fayemi who told me bluntly to my face that, “chairman, what we are saying is, you can go and conduct election to fulfil all righteousness, but when we say this is the person that should emerge, just make sure he is the person that emerge.

“And I told governor Fayemi that, ‘that would be your own portion not me’. I cannot be used as an instrument of fraud, to invite people to buy forms when I have already decided, regardless of how people will vote, this is the man that will prevail.”

In response to the accusation, a statement signed by&nbsp;Governor Fayemi’s spokesperson, Yinka Oyebode, debunked the allegations, describing it as laughable and a figment of Oshiomole’s imagination.

The statement said in part, “The allegation, which was made on a national television, is not only false, puerile and laughable, it is a figment of the imagination of the former APC Chairman as Governor Fayemi has never asked Oshiomhole to rig any election for him or any other person and never had any reason to ask for such”

“Members of the public are therefore urged to disregard the allegations by Comrade Oshiomhole, who apparently is still experiencing a post traumatic stress disorder on account of his removal as Chairman of APC.

“It is on record, Dr Fayemi was not responsible for Comrade Oshiomhole’s removal as Chairman of the APC. He has his ward executives and the courts to blame for that.

“The Ekiti State Governor has always considered Comrade Oshiomhole a friend and political associate even if they had fundamental differences over his kangaroo approach of disqualifying Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, from the APC primaries and his unconscionable autocratic management of party affairs whilst he was chairman of the party.”

&nbsp;The statement also further referenced Fayemi’s concession speech after his election loss in 2014, citing it as proof of the governor’s unwavering respect for the rule of law.

A statement released by the Ekiti State Governor’s camp has denied the accusations made by Oshiomole.

Fayemi rubbishes Oshiomhole’s rigging allegation

The national president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr Samson Ayokunle, has advised Christians to respect other people’s faiths and dogmas.

Ayokunle said this whilst speaking on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Monday July 16 2022.

He said, “There’s a need for religious education so you know what people of other faith around you don’t want and you respect them. If there's mutual respect in this nation, there will be peace. Don’t take unilateral offence toward anybody that has offended you. Report it appropriately. This is a civilized society. This is not the stone age.

“To the best of my knowledge, I didn’t see the name of any religious leaders being mentioned in all the documents I got from our people in Sokoto, who are Christians.”.

“Killing that lady and setting her ablaze is one action, too many and it should not be allowed in the guise of any religion to take place again. And I want to warn some religious leaders, who are saying there needs to be a redline.

“In a country where we have democracy, if there’s a red line for you, report it appropriately and let the law enforcement agencies handle it, while I’m also appealing to every Christian to respect other religious groups around you,

He further enjoined the educational institutions to train students and enlighten them on the importance of reporting any issues they have to the right authorities or even law enforcement establishments as provided for in the country’s laws.

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN (News Stage)

The appeal was made by the association’s president while speaking on TV about the blasphemy issue in Sokoto.

CAN advises Christians to respect other people’s beliefs

Former Senate President and a presidential aspirant of&nbsp;the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bukola Saraki has promised to reverse the trend of brain drain in the country if he is elected President.&nbsp;

He promised to develop targeted incentives that will motivate professionals to remain in the country.

Saraki made this known on Thursday, May 12 2022 during his ‘Presidential Media Parley’ event in Abuja where he intimated the public about the plans he has for the country in the event that he is elected.

During his speech at the event, Saraki said in part, “The moment our professionals still relocate to other countries to find fulfilment, then our job is not done and this is why I want to be the President. I will be the bridge between the private and public sector. I will be the bridge between the young and the old. I can do it.

“My portfolio experience at the executive level and the highest legislative institution have prepared me for this job. I will implement my plans with courage and conviction. We never lacked ideas in this country.

“We can be the generation that commits to building the country on the principle of equal opportunity to everyone and deliberate about policies that promote inclusion of women and the youths as well as people living with disabilities.”

“I will invest massively in skills such as programming, cloud computing, data analytics and all such in-demand skills to drive innovation,” he further explained.

The former lawmaker also spoke about Nigeria’s economy, explaining how he plans to help the country permanently overcome its vulnerability to the fluctuating oil prices that have become an enduring feature in the country.

The former Senate President in his declaration for the 2023 Presidential election promised to reverse the worrying trend.

Saraki promises to reverse brain drain in Nigeria

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has through its Kaduna State chapter charged the Pres. Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to perform its duty in rescuing the kidnapped victims of the Kaduna train terrorist attack that have remained in the kidnappers’ den for 30 days since the incident occurred.

The association said this in a statement made by the Chairman of the Kaduna State wing of the association, Rev Joseph John Hayab on Thursday, April 28, 2022.&nbsp;

Rev. Hayab said, “Since then it is now 30 days of agony, sleepless nights, lamentation, shedding of tears, and psychological anguish for the victims, the members of their immediate and extended&nbsp;families, people of conscience, and many well-wishers.”

“Sadly, despite acknowledging the misfortune caused by the attacks by those responsible for protecting lives and property, the head of the ministry responsible for rail transport has not shown enough empathy towards families or made plausible efforts to actualize the freedom of the abducted from the terrorists.

CAN is aware that insecurity has worsened the pain that Nigerians go through reaching a peak where people are so miserable beyond what words can convey. Currently, many households are starving, as many are without jobs, food, and health care, whereas university students are at home because of the ASSU strike. Moreover, citizens cannot move freely to seek means to bring succour to their children, wives and aged parents due to fear of bandits and terrorists”.

“Accordingly, CAN is calling on the federal government to give definite marching orders to the security agencies to go out there and rescue the 17 women, 4 children, and 41 males, held hostage, whose photos the terrorists have disrespectfully sent out to the world.”

He also offered hope to the families of the victims of the attack and implored other Christians and Nigerians, in general, to not lose hope and keep praying for the safe release of all the 62&nbsp;victims still left in captivity.

The Kaduna State chapter of the association hopes the kidnapped victims will be rescued after spending 30 days in the terrorists’ den

CAN charges FG to rescue victims of Kaduna train attack

The Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on April, Monday 11,&nbsp;took to Twitter to make public his interest to contest under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position of President come 2023. He is the latest in a long line of political bigwigs who are seeking to be the ruling party’s flagbearer at the polls.

There has also been activity in the camp of the current Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who also declared an interest in seeking the seat of the President in the same APC that is the Vice President’s party over the last weekend.

Both announcements have been the biggest so far in the race to the 2023 elections, at least going by the staggering number of social media conversations that have followed the announcements of both candidates.

Although there have been other political actors who have also declared their interest in the elections, what the above listed two have in common is that they are both part and parcel of the current administration.

Osinbajo, whose position as President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 elections was his first introduction to Nigerians as a political office holder, has spent the last seven years familiarizing himself with Nigerians as an able deputy for the outgoing Pres. Buhari whose administration seems to have been quite insulated from the plight of Nigerians despite the fidelity of their campaign promises.

Even if it can be claimed that the government Osinbajo still proudly remains a part of — especially as illustrated in his declaration speech where he said, “We have, together, worked through some of the most difficult times in the history of our Nation, but we have remained focused on securing the country, providing infrastructure and growing our economy. — meant well for Nigeria and Nigerians, the reality has been wildly different.

The fact that most of the claims Osinbajo could use to back up his credibility as a serious candidate for the Presidency, as portrayed through his declaration speech, have been devoid of any real action.

“In this period of seven years, I have served the government in several capacities, and have, at the direction of Mr. President, represented our country in sensitive high level international engagements. I have been to practically all local governments in Nigeria. I have been in markets, factories, schools, and farms. I have been in agricultural, mining and oil producing communities; in the Delta, in Kebbi, Enugu, Borno; Rivers, Plateau and Ondo; &amp; in all other States of the federation, listening to the diverse experiences and yearnings of our people.

“I have visited our gallant troops in the North East and our brothers and sisters in the IDP camps. I have felt the pain and anguish of victims of violent conflicts, terrorist attacks, flooding, fire and other disasters.”

For a country faced with the magnitude of challenges that Nigeria currently finds itself, this feels like a very false start to the arduous journey that lies ahead of the country’s next leader.&nbsp;

The passiveness that has seen him be a part of a Presidency that still has not officially acknowledged the killing and kidnap of more than 200 of its citizens by terrorists a little over two weeks back.

The same can also be said of the candidacy of Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transport whose ministry is responsible for the trains that were attacked by the terrorists. When asked about the security on said trains, his first response was to lament about the inadequate funds that have prevented them from making the trains more secure rather than attending to the reality of the victims of the sordid attack.

Amaechi said, “We knew what the problems will be. We know we needed to have digital security equipment on the corridors. We applied for it. Let me just stop here so I don’t hurt so many people. But I heard the president has given a directive that the procurement must be completed immediately.

“If we had those equipment on the tracks, you will see the entire track. And we warned that lives would be lost. Now lives were lost. Eight persons dead and 25 persons in the hospital. We don’t know how many people have been kidnapped. And the cost of those equipment is just N3bn. The cost of what we have lost is more than N3bn.

“We have lost track. We have lost locomotives and coaches. We have lost human beings. And the equipment is just N3bn. To fix the damages will cost more than N3bn. To imagine that we just said give us the approval and not even the money. At the time we asked for it, Dollar was N400, and now its about N500. When you come with sincerity to the government and people are stopping you, it is annoying.”

With the indolence and disregard that the policies and conduct of this Federal Government has inflicted on Nigerians, a government that is not sensitive to the plight of its people who continue to freely slide down the poverty scale will prove too expensive, and looking towards the very people who aided its occurrence for succor may not be the best thing to do.&nbsp;

Disclaimer: This article is the opinion of a Pulse Contributor, it doesn't reflect the opinions of the company.

The current Vice President of Nigeria is the latest political actor to throw his hat in the ring, at what cost?

This season of presidency declarations [Pulse Contributor's Opinion]

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday, March 30th was discussing the issue of the Pay-TV companies aka DStv’s recent price increase, with the view of achieving a downward price review “in tandem with the prevailing reality of the economic situation in the country”.

The lawmakers also decided to instruct Pay-TV companies to introduce a pay per view subscription model against the month to month prepaid model which is currently prevalent.&nbsp;

This entire step they claim is to check the prohibitive pricing that Pay-TV companies have been heaving on the common Nigerian recently.

The discussion about Pay TV prices has been generating heated debates around the polity and it usually coincides with DStv’s, – the country’s biggest and most efficient Pay-TV company – review of its prices. The move is usually made to insulate the company against worsening economic realities that have been the portion of any money-making entity that is domiciled in Nigeria for the past few years.

DStv, a Pay-TV company that has operated in Nigeria for almost 30 years now, garnering millions of subscribers around the country due to its excellent service delivery in the constantly evolving industry of content distribution. It has also become one of the foremost organisations that produce and distribute locally made content and distributes to audiences across the world. Tinsel, BBNaija, AFMVCA are some of the few initiatives that can be credited to the media giants.

The DStv price review discussions, in particular, have however seemed rooted in lofty, imaginary ideas that should be more comfortable within the four walls of beer parlours than lawmaking halls.&nbsp;At best, maybe even newspaper stands that always have an endless supply of half-baked knowledge that is passed off as verifiable data in the spirit of keeping the dreary silence of poignant truths away.

These discussions have now, against all odds, made it into the hallowed chambers of our highest law-making institution, one that is supposed to house our brightest minds who can easily sift through half-baked ideas and coalesce more serious truths that can make sustainable and continuous improvement on the predicaments of the common Nigerian man.&nbsp;

This makes the whole PayTV discussion appear as a rather hollow charade, designed to keep many uninformed Nigerians occupied with the idea that the occupants of that sacred chamber are fighting their good fight in the short term, whilst keeping the sharp teeth of the ‘money-grubbing Pay-TV giants’ away from the shallow purses of Nigerians. Or worse, we are the bigger fools for deigning those occupants fit for the offices they occupy when they can not even identify the many principles that regulating the price demanded by private Pay-TV companies in this context, would mean for the Nigerian economy in the long term.

The bulk of the expenses of an organisation like DStv usually goes into securing the rights to exclusive content around the world. Content that has now made the company a juggernaut in content distribution around the world. Competitions like the English Premier League, Formula 1 and many other sport shows around the world are consistently delivered to Nigerian homes through its bouquets that range from about ₦400 to ₦20,000. Even though these rights are tightly contested by broadcast companies and are charged in US dollars.

The continually dwindling fate of the Naira continues to leave these organisations in a quandary, as it forces their hands to increase prices in order to remain profitable consistently. The inflation figures in the country also continue to rise and worsen the situation. That coupled with the increase in fuel prices that has stifled many businesses across the country with the sharp increase in running costs has meant they would increase prices to stay afloat.

Those factors that lead to an increase in running costs are what politicians and lawmakers are elected to maintain. If the running costs of a sought after business increase, so will their prices.&nbsp;

How are our lawmakers working to create a federal reserve that could stabilise the economy?

How are our lawmakers employing technocrats like the great American, Paul Volcker, who can create sustainable long-term economic strategies?&nbsp;

Those are the same factors that their actions and inactions directly affect. However, they choose to look away, trying to conjure up ‘solutions’ to cure the side effects of bad policies rather than addressing the real issues.&nbsp;

The performative grand proclamations made by Nigerian politicians, identifying with the plight of the ‘common man” whilst being directly responsible for the issues are an outdated method of politicking, especially with the amount of information publicly available. Maybe more time spent away from TV sets and more on legitimately productive ventures would do us all a world of good.

Why Nigerian  pay-TV service providers offer less value compared to DStv

The Nigerian Senate has been probing the PayTV company for increasing their prices even when there is bigger fish to fry.

Dear Nigerian lawmakers, stop harassing DSTV (Pulse Contributor's Opinion)

Will Smith’s impressive win of the Best Actor in a Leading Role gong at the 2022 edition of the Academy Awards was overshadowed by another ‘not-so-glorifying’ mini-event, starring the impressive actor in the lead role.

Some moments before the Best Actor category was announced, Chris Rock who was on the Oscars stage to present another award was caught in the aftermath of a ‘bad joke’ that Will did not take very kindly, at his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense.

In the blink of an eye, Will Smith strutted across the Oscars stage and delivered a violent slap across a shocked Chris Rock’s face, returned to his designated seat while mouthing obscenities at the comedian, forbidding him from mentioning Jada in his jokes again.

The regret from Will’s impulsive decision to assault a fellow entertainer in public view did not take long to coalesce. His apology was well-spruced into his award acceptance speech and perfectly delivered in a performance that made one question how long he must have been preparing for that eventuality. He subsequently took the opportunity to apologize to almost about everyone but the wronged Chris Rock.&nbsp;

"I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award. It's not about winning an award for me. Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family. In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world. Making this film, I got to protect Aunjanue Ellis, who is one of the strongest, most delicate people I've ever met. I got to protect Saniyya and Demi, the two actresses that played Venus and Serena. I'm being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people. I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse. You got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business you got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you got to smile and you got to pretend like that's okay." he said.

Will blamed his love for family, as performed in his role as Richard Williams for his impassioned display and craved their indulgence and understanding in judging his actions. The same privilege he did not extend to Rock who is well-known as a career comedian, playing his part in entertaining the audience with their ‘follies’ in standard Academy Awards fashion.

The downside of the entire fracas is that the artistry that went into the elite performance that earned him this Oscars win has been overshadowed by a moment of headiness that will now colour what should have been a colourful celebration.&nbsp;

NB: A lot of praise should also go to Chris Rock for maintaining all composure and still retaining his gracefulness despite Will’s juvenile attempts to rob him of it on the night.

Will Smith won an Oscar for his role in King Richard

The King Richard actor lost some composure as he assaults Chris Rock at the Academy Awards show

Best Actor at the Oscars aid Will Smith’s lean into King Richard fury

The World Health Organisation, WHO has called for more investments that will help it secure public health appropriately against the threat of the next pandemic.&nbsp;

The call for these funds was made on Wednesday, March 16,&nbsp;2022 by the WHO’s Assistant Director-General, Health Emergency Intelligence as well as former Director-General (D.G.) of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu in an interview with The Guardian.

Ihekweazu said that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the world to the threat that pandemics wield which should, in turn, inform better preparedness levels for epidemics and pandemics which would lead to a more coordinated response.

His speech read, “COVID-19 has been an unprecedented public health emergency. Despite its impact, I think it has led to a stronger focus on the importance of epidemic and pandemic preparedness. We are seeing a convergence of political will and public interest in strengthening health security in countries but also at the regional and global levels.

“We must rapidly increase funding and make these funding rapidly available, to improve preparedness across countries. Global health institutions like WHO need to be stronger in coordinating global response activities and we have begun to see these improvements such as with the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. We need to strengthen collaboration both within and between countries and this is an area that the new Hub is working very hard on.”

Ihekweazu also commended the efforts and political will of the Nigerian government for its in combating the outbreaks of Lassa fever in conjunction with local epidemiologists and health workers.

The organisation has called for more investments that will aid efforts to safeguard public health

WHO seeks more funding to secure against next pandemic

The University of Calabar has announced the suspension of its Director, Directorate of Human Resource and Establishment, (HR&amp;E) of the University, Mrs Agatha Ikposhi on Tuesday&nbsp;March 15, 2022 over allegations of age falsification.

The University announced her suspension through a letter signed by its Registrar, Mr Gabriel Egbe stating the reason for her suspension was the allegations of falsifying her age and employment records in the employ of the University which she has failed to give a reasonable response to so far.

The document announcing her suspension read in part, “The suspension is consequent upon her unsatisfactory response to allegations of falsification of age, records of service and defrauding of the Federal Government of Nigeria levelled against her by an alumnus of the University.

“Management, in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules has directed that Mrs Agatha Ikposhi be placed on suspension with effect from Wednesday, 16th March 2022 and the matter referred to the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) for further investigation.”

It further advised her to stay away from the University premises during the period of her suspension whilst also questioning her motive for continuing her service and receipt of remuneration due for her post in the University from 8 October 2014, when she was supposed to retire from service till 2022.

University of Calabar (UNICAL) gate entrance [WSF]

The University announced her suspension through its Registrar after she refused to explain extended tenure

UNICAL suspends its HR Director over age falsification

Over 200 Chinese nationals have been arrested by officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at a construction site in Niger state.

The Chinese nationals were arrested for overstaying the time stipulated on their tourist visas when they were granted entry into the country.

The arrested expats gained entry into the country as part of the construction team of the engineering firm handling the $1.3 billion Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project that was initiated by the Federal government to supplement the existing Kanji Hydroelectric Power project as the second-largest hydroelectric power project in the country.

An employee of the firm confirmed the incident to Sahara Reporters on Thursday saying,&nbsp;

“The immigration officials came in large numbers this morning and immediately proceeded to arrest the Chinese workers who don’t have the authorisation to remain in Nigeria.

“More than 200 were arrested while dozens more ran into nearby bushes to escape arrest.

“A lot of them came into Nigeria with tourist visas that have since expired over two years ago but they have continued to work without anybody disturbing them.

“While the ones in Nigeria have their visas expired already, the company is still bringing more workers from China that will also continue to live and work here once their documents expire.”

The spokesperson of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Amos Okpu also confirmed the arrest of the Chinese nationals, promising to give further details on the matter soon.

The Chinese nationals were arrested in Niger state for overstaying their visas.

Immigration officials arrest over 200 Chinese nationals in Niger

Nigerian farmers have made calls to the Central Bank of Nigeria to retain its Anchor Borrowers Programme following its resounding success.&nbsp;

The call was made on Monday, March 7, 2022, through the national president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Arc. Kabir Ibrahim while addressing journalists at the briefing organized by the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), headed by its new President, Mr Emmanuel Ijewere in Abuja.

The association president highlighted how much improvement the programme has brought to the lives of Nigerian farmers, providing funding that has enabled its members to enhance food security in the country, thus impacting the country’s economy positively.

He also noted in his speech that members of his association will look to harness the country’s arable land even more efficiently through the deployment of technology in farming.

He said, “Various commodity producers have been working in silos.&nbsp;What we want to do is to ensure synergy for all players.

“Together, we are helping to ensure food security and nutrition, creating systemic linkages between small, medium and large agribusiness enterprises.&nbsp;Working together as stakeholders in agriculture to diversify the economy of Nigeria away from oil and gas towards agricultural industrialization.

&nbsp;“Merge the agricultural groups working in silos to ensure that agriculture and its attendant value chains merge into a unified strong voice”.

“We recognize our role as the engine of economic growth with the government creating the enabling environment for agribusinesses to thrive”.

The president also disclosed that the group is in contact with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in a bid to support their activities that aim to improve food security in the country.

Farmers association cautions Nigerian farmers on CBN Anchor-Borrower scheme [Leadership]

The success of the financing programme has led to calls to retain it to enhance food security.

Nigerian farmers urge CBN to institutionalise Anchor Borrowers Programme

Following the accusation implied by the House of Representatives who recently tasked Adedayo Thomas, the executive director, National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) “to rise to the mandate of the agency as the clearinghouse for all movies produced in the country” to stop portraying ritual killings in a good light in their movies following the spike in ritual killings being experienced in the country. The veteran actor has now responded to the lawmakers via an Instagram post faulting the allegations.

Edochie said in his post that the portrayal of rituals in their movies only mirrors the reality on the ground within the country, in order to draw attention to the vices. He then continued to insist that the lawmakers who have true power are the ones who can bring about lasting change in the country.

“Nollywood is only showing what happens in society. Nigerians are wallowing in extreme poverty. A hungry man is an angry man, fix the country and crime will go away. Don’t blame Nollywood.” he said in the post.

He then urged the lawmakers to face their jobs of bringing lasting change through policy rather than criticising Nollywood efforts.

The Nigerian actor has tasked the lawmakers to fix the country rather than blame the movie industry.

Yul Edochie ask Reps not to blame Nollywood for rituals

Power generation in the country suffered a huge blow as one of the country’s biggest power plants, Egbin Power Plant was razed by fire. The fire incident which happened on Wednesday led to an enforced temporary shutdown of the station that has affected the power generating efforts of the country as a whole.&nbsp;

The shutdown according to a statement released by the management of the power plan will last for as long as it takes to identify the cause of the fire and return the plant to its optimum condition where electricity can be generated safely.

The statement in part read, “The management of Egbin Power Plc, wishes to inform its stakeholders and the public of a fire incident that occurred at the power plant on Wednesday, February 2nd 2022 at around 4.20pm.

“The incident was successfully controlled by a team of Egbin firefighters working in collaboration with firefighters from the Nigeria Gas Company in Egbin.”

“The management of the company assures the public that its technical team is working assiduously to restore operations.”

The fire incident is sure to frustrate the efforts being made by the government to improve the country’s power generation efforts in the short term with incidents like this leading to load shedding or extended periods without government-supplied power until the plant is back running at full capacity again.

The country’s power generation dropped by 1320MW as a result of inferno at power station.

Power generation drops as fire guts Egbin power plant

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Obafemi Awolowo University branch has embarked on strike action in protest of the non-payment of allowances that have accrued to members of staff by the school authority. The strike was declared by the union after its meeting that was congregated on Monday, 31st January realised that the school authority was not taking any serious steps in ensuring that the accrued allowances are paid.

The strike action which was declared by the OAU ASUU Chairman, Dr Adeola Egbedokun is going to be in place and would not be called off without the necessary congress action by the association.

The resolution read in part, “Congress noted that there was no serious commitment on the part of the University to effect payment of EAA to deserving members. Congress also noted that all political and diplomatic means to resolve the imbroglio have failed. Consequently, congress resolved that:

“Total, Comprehensive and Indefinite Strike should commence immediately. The strike must not be called off without a congress resolution to the effect.

“Payment of EAA must be based on ASUU computation. Anything short of this would be unacceptable. The Strike Coordinating Committee be set up to monitor the strike.”.

The statement served as the notice that has declared the strike action official.

OAU - Obafemi Awolowo University Main gate (The Nation)

The union body is going on strike to protest the non-payment of allowances accruing to staff.

OAU ASUU to begin strike

The United Arab Emirates in its effort to increase the vaccination rate among its citizens has announced through the state media that it will not allow unvaccinated citizens to take international trips from January 10th. The announcement came on Saturday through the state media, WAM citing the foreign ministry and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority. The same announcement continued to say that vaccinated citizens will also require their booster shots to be completely eligible for international travel.

Although the report claims that there would be exemptions in the execution of that policy for people on humanitarian or medical exemption grounds. This renewed vaccination efforts by the UAE government is a consequence of the rise in the infection rates of the coronavirus being experienced in the country and others around the world since the emergence of the Omicron variant of the virus. The Gulf state had infection rates that were rivalling its September figures in December, despite its huge vaccination rate.

Being one of the countries with the highest vaccination rates in the world with 99% of citizens having already gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, resistance to the vaccination policy does not look likely in the country.

UAE government announces four and half day working week; extends weekend for workers

The Gulf state announced it will not allow its unvaccinated citizens travel from Jan. 10

UAE to ban international travel for unvaccinated citizens

Burna Boy, the Nigerian music superstar has now quashed his outstanding beef with fellow music superstar, Davido. In a not so cryptic post that Burna posted on his Instagram page, he let his fans know that he no longer has any outstanding issues with Davido during an end of year series of posts that the musician used to address his fans after he had addressed the issues regarding Shatta Wale’s outburst against Nigerian musicians that has now gone viral on social media.

Burna Boy’s statement said “FYI I have no issues with David, we good now.”. He then continued to explain that “David wasn’t tryna 1 0n 1 me but we figured it out. 2022 all of us must love ourselves by force.”. This will bring some much needed respite to fans of both artistes who have often wondered what the cause of the issue between both artists was without ever really finding out.&nbsp;

With this new development, fans can now expect interaction between the two artists who have not been on friendly terms for quite some time with the only time Davido addressed it being on the interview he had with Ebuka on his YouTube show Black Box Interview.

In the spirit of new beginnings, the African Giant ended his beef with Davido

Burna Boy quashes beef with Davido

Nigeria’s global music superstar, Fireboy has on his latest effort pipped Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas’ to the lead position on UK’s&nbsp;Apple music chart with Peru remix. Fireboy recently released a remix to his smash hit ‘Peru’ with the international superstar Ed Sheeran. The song has only been out for a week and is already leading the international chart after it took first place at the expense of Mariah Carey’s Christmas season hit. This collaboration between Fireboy and Ed Sheeran has been well-received by fans all over the world who seem to appreciate Sheeran’s ingenuity at revamping Fireboy’s already popular hit.

The chemistry between both singers on the track was clear for all to see and has been responsible for winning over fans who were initially against the idea of having Ed Sheeran on the song when it was initially announced by both artists. Ed Sheeran said he was intrigued by the idea of working on the song since he received a request from Fireboy to join him on the remix adequately delivered, bringing more international recognition to the already popular song.&nbsp;

“I just found it really intriguing. So I recorded a verse for it… and it’s a song that’s blowing up in Nigeria and Ghana at the moment, and their club scene runs over Christmas,” Ed Sheeran said.

Fireboy and Ed Sheeran to collaborate on 'Peru (Remix).'