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       February 21, 2020 By Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja Many shops were destroyed when fire gutted some sections of Jabi motor Abuja on Friday. The cause of the fire cannot be ascertained at the time of this report but men of the FCT fire service have arrived the scene . The incident, which started at 10:12am, led to chaos as passengers and motorists scampered for safety. The situation got worst when the fire spread to a shop where car batteries and car gas were being sold, causing more havoc . As time of filing this report, FCT fire fighters have arrived the scene and are battling to put out the fire. Details shortly.More photos below.

      President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja said the issue of partial closure of Nigeria’s land border to goods from neighbouring countries will be determined by report of tripartite committee made up of Nigeria, Benin and Niger Republic. President Buhari, who received President Roch Marc Christian Kabore of Burkina Faso at the Presidential Villa, said Nigeria’s decision to partially close the  border was purely to safeguard national security. The President of Burkina Faso is the Chairman of the ECOWAS Committee mandated to resolve the issue of border closure. “Our major problem is security -- the inflow of weapons, ammunition and drugs. We have witnessed a decline in banditry using such weapons since the partial closure of the border. Also, our farmers are now able to sell their rice since we stopped the inflow of foreign rice, usually dumped in the country,’’ he said. President Buhari said Nigeria was very much mindful of the concerns of neighbouring countries on the i

      The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare, has inaugurated a Steering Committee of the Sports Industry Working Group (SIWG), at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. The Committee which is a Public Private Dialogue (PPD) platform is charged with the mandate to create effective synergy and ensure a close working relationship betwee n the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). The Minister stated that the Steering Committee will work together to create advantageous environment and have proper policy in place to drive investments, incentives and also drive infrastructural development through sports. He reminded the Committee that the Nigerian Sports Sector and indeed all Nigerians, look forward to the needed transformation in the Sports Industry, adding that, the whole process would bring about the foundational structure needed, to develop sports in Nigeria. In his welcome remarks, the Pe

      The Kwara State Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has declared their support for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in the ongoing fight against corruption in Nigeria. The Chairman of NANS in Kwara State, Comrade Salam Wasiu made the declaration on Wednesday, February 19, 2020 when he led the Executive Members of the Student Body on a courtesy visit to the Ilorin Zonal  Office of the Commission. Wasiu praised the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Commission for its efforts in bringing sanity to Kwara State. He said: "The National Association of Nigerian Students, Kwara State Chapter is very happy and grateful to your Office for fighting corruption in this State, we are following your activities, we heard about the fresh over two hundred million naira cash recovery for the State Government from treasury looters, this your efforts are commendable.".More photos below.

       The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says the challenges of insecurity in the country are being aggravated by detractors using fake news and disinformation. The minister, who stated this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, conceded that the country was facing the challenge of insecurity which the government had been tackling head on. “We have security challenges and we are tackling them head on. There is no question about that. “But the challenges are being aggravated by fake news and disinformation, in particular. “Those behind this campaign of fake news and disinformation have also deployed new tactics, top of which is the recycling of old news items and videos. “A good example is the video of the over 400 young men suspected to be Boko Haram members who were intercepted in Abia state in 2014. “About two weeks ago, the video came back into circulation, creating panic in the polity. “Their intention is simple: to create tension an

      The Federal Government on Thursday announced that the two runways at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos have now been calibrated for CAT III ILS and safe for international flights landing. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who made the announcement at a media briefing in Abuja said the Notice to Airmen (NOTAP) had been sent out to that effect. He recalled that in recent times, some international flights billed for the airport were being diverted to other airports within and outside the country due to adverse weather conditions at the airport. The minister apologised to Nigerians and other travelers who had to endure inconveniences resulting from the diversion of their flights. He, however, denied allegations by some commentators that the navigational equipment CAT III ILS was not bought or installed in the Lagos airport and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Mohammed also said that the accusation of inept

       The operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested Muhammed Audu, son of the late Prince Abubakar Audu, a former governor of Kogi State, for his alleged involvement in an alleged fraud. . . The suspect was arrested on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 for allegedly diverting the funds to the tune of several millions of US Dollars and billions of Naira, which were donated to the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, to his personal use. . . Investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly used two of his companies, Mediterranean Hotels Limited and Mediterranean Sports, to divert the funds, which he could not account for. . . The suspect will soon be charged to court as soon investigations are concluded.One more photo below.

      The National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) has been assured of Government’s support in improving the productivity of Cotton Farmers and all Actors in the Cotton Value Chain in Ogun State. The Executive Governor of Ogun State, His Excellency, Prince (Dr) Dapo Abiodun, MFR, made this disclosure at the Official Flag off of the Recovery of Cotton Outputs for Anchors for the 2019 Planting Season, in Ijebu Igbo, Ij ebu North Local Government Area. Governor Abiodun, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina, hinted that Government recognised the employment generation potentials of Cotton enterprises and the importance of sustaining the need for raw materials by textile and allied industries. "We will support smallholder farmers to raise their yield through deliberate extension services in the Anchor Borrowers Programme under our watch", he said. He expressed Government’s tireless resolve to continue to link farmers in the State

     Yesterday, Government of Ekiti State launches the Open Defecation Free Roadmap and the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign in Ado Ekiti. In attendance is the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Hon. Minister for Water Resources Engr. Suleiman Adamu, and top government officials.

      Three persons are currently in the net of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for falsely parading as staff of the Commission and dropping the names of the Commission’s officers for illicit material gains from unsuspecting members of the public. The three suspects are Samson Sani, Chinaza Ike and Kenneth Osita. . . Prior to his arrest, Sani, 38, and a member of Charted Institute of Forensic and Professionals of Nigeria, CIFIPN, has been parading himself as a Course 8 staff of the EFCC and as well as the Head of Forensic Unit of the Commission. He used his false claims to approach members of the public who have issues in the Commission with promise of assisting them get out of trouble and obtain money from them in the process. . . Luck ran out on Sani when sometime in 2019, he collected N5, 000, 000 (Five Million Naira) from one Henry Agbo with a promise to influence the outcome of a criminal matter that concerned him in the Commission and to secure the release o

         A Special Offences Mobile Court sitting in the Ikeja Magisterial District on Tuesday jailed a 27-year-old street trader, Matthew John for assaulting a Neighbourhood Safety Corps official, Mr. Alape Solomon and biting off his lips during a Clean-Up enforcement exercise in Victoria Island. The accused, who was arraigned before Magistrate Israel Adelakun on a three-count charge of conduct likely to cause breac h of peace, obstruction of an officer and assault, was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment in addition to a fine of N100,000, in line with sections 168 (1) (d), section 117(1), section 174(b) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015. Speaking on the incident, the Chairman of the Special Committee Mr. Tunji Bello described the action of the trader as barbaric, noting that such an unwholesome act was becoming too rampant in the State. He said it was disheartening that officers employed to safeguard members of the public are being attacked by the sam

       Nollywood has been thrown into mourning as news just surfaced that actor, Frank Dallas is dead. According to reports, Dallas died on Wednesday, February 19 in his hotel room in Abia State while attending a summit. A statement released by the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN) PRO Monalisa Chinda-Coker, stated that the President of the Guild, Mr. Emeja Rollas has cancelled all official activities for three days to mourn the late actor. The statement read; ”With heart full of sorrow, we announce the sudden death of the immediate past National PRO of GNU, Frank Dallas Ebulukwu. “The National President of AGN, Ejezie Emeka Rollas has declared three days of National mourning and prayers accross all State Chapters including FCT Abuja.’ “In view of this, all official activities of the Guild at all levels are hereby cancelled for three days. “State Chapter Chairmen are instructed to open condolence register in his honour from Monday, 24/02/2020. “Monthly meeting for February i

      One of  the Bella Twins Nikki Bella flaunts her baby bump on social media,the first time mother who is expecting her baby with her fiancee Artem Chigvintsev clearly can't wait to meet her child as she captioned the photo above  ''   Hi my little baby 🥰 16 weeks today! ''.Congratulation.More photos below.

  Congratulations to EbonyLife Tv boss Mo-Abudu who just announced on social media that her daughter Temidayo just gave birth to a bouncing baby boy today.She this photo above few minutes ago with the caption '' All glory to God, I became a grandma today. My darling Temidee gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. Lord I am so so grateful 🙏🏾❤🙏🏾. Dear Temidayo and Adebola, the biggest congratulations.🎈🎉🎊 🎈🎶👏🏾🕺💃🏽⁣. Gods love, favour and blessings now and always 🙏🏾 ⁣ ⁣ #AllGloryToGod   #AwesomeGod   #GrandMa   #Grandmother   #GlamMa   #Happyday   #Beautifulday   ''.More photos below.

      The sacrifices of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in conflict areas in Nigeria are well appreciated, President Muhammadu Buhari has said. Receiving Dr Christos Christou, International President of the organization at State House, Abuja, Friday, the President said the sacrifices as individuals and as a group were quite enormous, particularly on non-profit basis. Commenting specifically on the situation in the North-east, President Buhari said despite criticisms, the government has made substantial progress. “We know the pathetic situation of children not knowing where their parents are, or the communities they come from, and that was why we established the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. This is to harness and channel resources to such deprived people,” he declared. The President promised that respite and succour would come to all the troubled areas, adding that many prominent and well-to-do organizations were