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An illustrious son of Anambra state, Engr Gabe Okoye of Achalla Village, Enugwu Agidi in Njikoka LGA, who lives in Atlanta Georgia,USA, was yesterday, elected to the US House of Representatives, to represent GA House of Reps District 102, at the Capitol.  

EU Moves To Contain Cholera Epidemic In Nigeria, Allocates Fresh €500,000 Reports say around 1.6 million internally displaced persons and 1 million members of the local population in Nigeria are at risk of the cholera epidemic affecting the country.  At least 11,820 cases and 382 associated deaths have been reported in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.  It is on this backdrop that the European Union, EU, has committed to assisting Nigeria in its fight against the epidemic through the allocation of €500,000 from its Epidemics Tool EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said: “Nigeria has been facing many crises at the same time, including measles and malaria outbreaks, record levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, and catastrophic flooding which has been impacting negatively on the spread of cholera.  According to him, the security situation has rendered access to many communities increasingly challenging but with the EU’s support, humanitarian partners wi...

Ogbo-Ogwu Market Fire: Anambra Health Commissioner, Obidike Visits The Injured  Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike joined in the rescue operation of injured persons during the fire incident that engulfed Ogbo-Ogwu International Market, Onitsha yesterday.  The tragic incident was suspectedly from a chemical explosion in the market. Dr. Obidike who was present at the scene of the incident commended the efforts of the  State Fire Service, market leaders and other good-spirited individuals for their commitment to rescuing the affected persons as well as conveying them to the hospitals for treatment. According to Dr. Obidike, the suspected chemical explosion happened at the Government line in the market and unfortunately many people got injured, while some lost their lives and goods worth millions of naira got lost. He said that the Anambra state government is deeply saddened by the loss of lives, injuries and material losses recorded as a result of the un...

Fake Certificates: ICPC to Clampdown on Degree Mills The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, OFR, has enjoined the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) Committee on Degree Mills to submit reports of unapproved degree awarding institutions to the Commission for enforcement action. The Chairman made this call when he played host to the NUC Committee on Degree Mills, led by their Chairman Prof. Enefiok Essien, SAN, when the latter paid a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters recently. Professor Owasanoye explained that given the fact that the country now thrives on superficiality of qualifications, a lot of people forge certificates of accredited institutions to get appointments in public establishment, saying that regrettably nobody was checking the trend. “There is an epidemic of fake certification on our hands at the moment and if we don’t deal with it, we will never have the kind of ...

EFCC Arrests 49 Suspected Fraudsters in Abuja Operatives of the Abuja Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC have arrested 49 internet fraud suspects. The suspects within the 19 and 32 years age bracket, were arrested in a sting in various homes at Navy Estate, Cajaah-Orozo, a suburb of Abuja, following credible intelligence on their alleged criminal activities. Among items seized from them include over fifty mobile phones of different brands, fifteen laptops and a Lexus ES330 salon. The suspects will be charged to court as soon as the investigations are concluded. More photos below. 

EFCC Presents N41.1bn 2023 Budget Proposal to House of Reps The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, presented an estimate of N41,120,071,521.75 (Forty One Billion, One Hundred and Twenty Million, Seventy One Thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty One Naira, Seventy Five Kobo) as its budget for the year 2023 to the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes. A breakdown of the estimate shows the sum of N36,834,903,804.75 (Thirty Six billion, Eight Hundred and Thirty Four million, Nine Hundred and Three Thousand, Eight Hundred and Four Naira, Seventy Five Kobo) only as Personnel cost; while the sum of N3,835,460,631.00 (Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Thirty Five Million, Four Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty One Naira) is for overhead, and N530,707,086.00 (Five Hundred and Thirty Million, Seven Hundred and Seven Thousand, Eighty Six Naira) earmarked as Capital vote. Presenting the budget before the Committee, the Execut...

Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior, has written to the Nigerian Governors Forum to request a meeting in order to decongest jails around the country. This was made known to our correspondent by the Minister’s Media Adviser, Sola Fasure, on Tuesday. In exactly one month, Aregbesola stated he would meet with state governors to agree on the mass release of at least 30 per cent of convicts from correctional facilities across the country. The minister said that the interface was necessary as more than 90 per cent of the inmates were being held for contravening various state laws, noting that over 70 per cent of the 75,635 inmates at present were awaiting trial. The minister added that the decongestion of the 253 custodial centres nationwide was necessary as some of the inmates have no reason to remain in custody. However, speaking on the action taken by the minister, Fasure said, “The minister has written to the Governors Forum, but he has not met with them because they will have to commu...

Kano Singer Sentenced To Death Over Blasphemy Challenge Judgement At Supreme Court  Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a musician sentenced to death by hanging in 2020 after being convicted of blasphemy, has approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria to challenge his conviction. SaharaReporters exclusively learnt on Wednesday that the governor of Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje and the state Attorney General, Musa Abdullahi Lawan had just been served court papers with regard to the appeal. The death sentence was passed on Sharif-Aminu by a Sharia court, which a high court overturned. It, however, denied the musician bail and ordered his re-trial before another Sharia court judge due to irregularities in the original trial. The musician approached the appeal court to overturn the order for his retrial for blasphemy. His lawyer argued that he ought to be removed from detention. But the appellate court did not rule in his favour. Sharif-Aminu is also seeking “an order declaring S.382(b) of the Sharia Penal Co...

U.S MIDTERM ELECTIONS: PRESIDENT BUHARI CONGRATULATES NIGERIAN-AMERICANS ON ELECTION VICTORY   President Muhammadu Buhari extends warmest congratulations to eight Nigerian-Americans on their victory in the U.S. midterm elections.   In Georgia State, Segun Adeyina, Gabe Okoye, Solomon Adesanya, Tish Naghise, and Phil Olaleye won their legislative seats as State Representatives in their Districts.   Similarly, Carol Kazeem won the Pennsylvania State Representative in District 159, Esther Agbaje was re-elected as Minnesota State Representative in District 59B, while Dr. Oye Owolewa was re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (Shadow Representative) in Washington D.C.   In prayerful wishes for a successful tenure in office, President Buhari thanks them for their invaluable support and partnerships, over the years, with groups affiliated with the ideals and objectives of Nigerians in Diaspora associations in the United States.   Restating his unflinching supp...

2023 BUDGET: GOV. ORTOM PRESENTS N179.7BN PROPOSAL TO ASSEMBLY Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has presented a budget of N179.7 billion proposal for the 2023 to the Benue State House of Assembly for consideration and passage. Christened Budget of Consolidation and Transition, the estimate is made of N106.1billion or 51.1 percent of the estimate as recurrent expenditure while the sum of N73.5billion representing 48.9 percent of the budget is for capital expenditure. The 2023 fiscal estimate is N24.1billion higher than the 2022 budget of N155.6billion. Presenting the estimates, Governor Ortom explained that the “Recurrent Expenditure is made up of the sum of N48.5billion or 27 percent Personnel Cost while N57.6billion or 32.1 percent represents Overhead Cost. The Recurrent Expenditure Estimates focuses on our obligation to faithfully pay the salaries of our workers and meet our obligations under our new Pension Laws and to our retired workers. We have also essential overheads expend...

PHOTOS: GOV. BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU, OONI OF IFE AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 2022 NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND CULTURE (EKO NAFEST), AT MOBOLAJI JOHNSON ARENA, ONIKAN, ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2022 PIX 1 L-R: Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe; Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu exchanging greetings with Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II during the opening ceremony of the 2022 National Festival of Arts and Culture (EKO NAEFST) themed: “Cultural and Peaceful Co-existence”, at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 PIX 2 L-R: Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II; Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa; Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Barr. Femi Martins; Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat; Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his wife, Dr (Mrs) Ibijoke and Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Pharm (Mrs) Uza...

Ogun set to host $3b refinery in Tongeji Island  The Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration in Ogun State on Wednesday took a major step in making the state an oil producing one as a firm, Gasoline Integrated International, expressed its readiness to build a $3b refinery in Tongeji Island, Ipokia Local Government Area of the state. A statement issued in Abeokuta by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin said the refinery when completed will be refining 400,000 litres of crude oil into petrol per day. The chairman of the company, Dr. Lukman Bolaji, who disclosed this when he led the company's directors on a courtesy call on the governor, Governor Abiodun in his office at Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, noted that the firm is into upstream and main stream and had acquired an oil block at Tongeji Island. The refinery, he explained, would be located at Ipokia and would refine 100,000 litres per day and other petroleum products at the beginning, and later expand to 400,000 litres pe...

SAFE SCHOOLS INITIATIVE - CP KOLO YUSUF VISITS FEDERAL UNIVERSITY GUSAU, FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION TECHNICAL AND POLICE SECONDARY SCHOOL GUSAU  As CP Reassures More Security Measures To Safeguard Lives and Property of Students and Staff. In line with the directives of the Inspector General of Police IGP Usman Alkali Baba psc (+), NPM, NEAPS, fdc, CFR to provide adequate security for schools across the country, the Commissioner of Police Zamfara State Command CP Kolo Yusuf psc, in compliance with the directives today led Police Tactical Team to Federal University, Gusau, Federal College of Education Technical (FCET) and Police Secondary School Gusau for confidence building patrol.  In the course of the visit, the Commissioner of Police met with the schools management, who took him round some of the strategic locations in their respective schools which were instantly assessed for security mapping, so as to safeguard lives and property in the schools The Commissioner of Po...

PRESS RELEASE INSECURITY: IGP ACQUIRES, DEPLOYS 3 ASISGUARD SONGAR ARMED DRONES TO STRATEGIC LOCATIONS • Orders Total Clamp Down on Non State Actors, Criminals  The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba psc(+), NPM, NEAPS, fdc, CFR, has acquired three (3) high-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for improved armed surveillance operations to checkmate criminal activities in the country as a further manifestation of the IGP's determination to integrate the use of innovative technology in the law enforcement duties of the Nigeria Police Force. The newly acquired drones will surely assist the Police in monitoring active crime scenes, coordinating response operations, and providing armed aerial support to officers on reconnaissance operations.  The 3 newly acquired UAVs are rotary wing aircrafts capable of flying up to an altitude of 1000ft with high operational endurance and capacity of firing at acquired threats and targets from reasonable distances. The Nigeria ...

AIG Egbuka resumes duty as AIG in charge of Zone 14         This is to inform the general public that the new Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 14, comprising Katsina and Kaduna States Command, AIG Edward Chuka Egbuka psc, has assumed duty today being 9th November, 2022. The AIG hails from Ezinitte L.G.A. of Imo state. He holds a B. Sc. (Hons) in History and International Relations from the University of Calabar and a Law Degree from the River State University of Science and Technology. He was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on 15th March, 1988 as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police, trained at the Police Academy Annex, Kaduna.  2. The AIG is a professional police officer who has served in different departments, commands and formations of the Nigeria Police Force. These include, Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in different Divisions across the country. Area Commander Ogba and Idimu Area Commands in Lagos state; Umuahia Area ...