NIGERIAN NOTCH

• total disconnect’ responsible for crisis in a state of ‘54 ethnic nationalities’ •‘fears Jos could blow up’ •Speaks on conflict merchants and two years of stability The latest attacks in Jos, which claimed scores of lives, were just another of the bloody protracted conflicts that have defied solution in Plateau State. With about 54 ethnic groups, the state comprises Christian groups – among them, Afizere, Anaguta, Berom, Irigwe, Ngas, Tarok and Ywom — on one hand, and on the other hand, Muslim Hausa/Fulani, whom the former commonly regard as “settlers” and “usurpers.” Stoked by political standing and religious sentiments, clashes between these heterogeneous groups often had to do with mutual animosity, manipulation of information and struggles for self-determination, control over land resources and chieftaincy affairs. As the arid lands across northern Nigeria, as is in most parts of northern Africa, continue to creep outwards, coupled with the shrinking of the Lake Chad ...

The speaker of the federal house of representatives, Tajudeen Abbas has said that the house of representatives in the last 6 months havr worked tirelesly to legislate for the good of Nigerians. Abbas said this in Abuja yesterday at plenary, shortly before the House adjourned for the New Year break. He said the House legislative outputs in the last six months had been remarkable, adding that the House received and considered 962 bills and 500 motions. Others, he said, included 153 petitions. “Of these numbers, 120 bills have passed the second reading reading, ” he said. He added that the bills were undergoing further review and refinement to address some of the concerns raised during debates.   He said another 120 bills had been referred to committees for in-depth analysis, adding that the House had also successfully passed many other bills. These he said had been transmitted to the Senate for concurrence, adding that notable among the bills were the Electricity Act (Ame...

The Senate has passed the 2024 Appropriation Bill of N28.7 trillion, increasing it by approximately N1.2 trillion from the initial N27.5 trillion proposed by President Bola Tinubu. The passage occurred following the approval of the report from the Senate Committee on Appropriation during the Saturday plenary session. In presenting the report, the committee chairman, Sen. Solomon Adeola, said that they adopted the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Paper (MTEF/FSP) approved by the National Assembly in drafting the budget. He specified that the committee adopted a $77.96 per barrel oil benchmark, 1.78 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of N800 to the dollar, deviating from the proposed 750 dollars by the executive. The bill’s highlights include total aggregate expenditure of N28.7 trillion, statutory transfers of N1.7 trillion, recurrent expenditure of N8.7 trillion, and a capital expenditure component of N9.9 trillion. Adeola noted the collaborative effo...

The SOUTH EAST APC YOUTHS FRONTIERS  have  expressed its heartfelt appreciation to Dr.Doris Anite Uzoka, the Honourable Minister for Industry Trade and Investment , for her compassionate outreach to the 24 Autonomous Communities across OGUTA LGA of Imo State with bags of rice,cows and meaningful amount of money. The Youths  emphasized that Dr.Uzoka's outreach, covering all the Communities in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo state, signifies a comprehensive and inclusive approach to community service. The group comprising of Coordinator's across the five South Eastern States in  a statement on Friday   highlighted the significance of  Dr.Uzoka Anite's efforts in making a positive impact  by making the people smile during the Yuletide season. It also  commended Dr.Doris Anite Uzoka for embodying the true spirit of Christmas through her selfless outreach. The group however commended the minister for attracting numerous investments ...

By Christian ABURIME Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, of Anambra State has officially signed the 2024 Appropriation Bill into law, totalling N410,132,225,272, one month after it was presented before the state House of Assembly. The budget is themed "Changing Gears: The Transformation Agenda Begins" is aimed at beginning the transformation agenda and implementing a new master plan to change Anambra into a liveable and prosperous homeland. The signing ceremony which took place at the Governor’s residence was witnessed by several dignitaries, including Deputy Governor, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi, Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs Chiamaka Nnake, House Committee Chairman on Finance and Appropriation, Hon Ejike Okechukwu, among others. During the signing, Governor Soludo emphasized his administration’s commitment to implementing ...

Zimbabwe President, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, has distributed 54 bicycles as Xmas gifts to village heads in Zvishavane. The president made the donation at an event on Tuesday, December 26. The county’s First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa, also donated Christmas hampers to the wives of Village Heads present at the same event. This was made known by the Zimbabwean Ministry of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting on its official X handle. The post read, “Today, His Excellency President Mnangagwa @edmnangagwa donated 54 bicycles to Chief Mapanzure, at Lundi Primary School in Zvishavane. The bicycles will be distributed to village heads. Also present was the First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa, who donated Christmas hampers to the wives of Village Heads present at the event..”

  The Senate has postponed its plenary sitting from Friday to Saturday to enable it pass the 2024 Appropriation Bill that was forwarded to it by President Bola Tinubu.   The Senate had last week adjourned plenary to Friday this week in order for members celebrate the Christmas with their families and friends. A statement  for the postponement was signed yesterday by the Clerk of Senate, Chinedu Francis Akubueze. The statement reads, “This is to inform Distinguished Senators that the plenary sitting of the Senate, which was scheduled to be held on Friday, December 29th, 2023, by 10.00 am been postponed to Saturday, December 30th, 2023 by 10.00 am. Any inconvenience that this shift may cause to Distinguished Senators is regretted.” Recall that Pesident Tinubu had presented before the National Assembly a total aggregate expenditure of N27.5 trillion 2024 Appropriation Bill, just as he had announced his administration’s resolve to adopt the “revised 2024-2026...

A misunderstanding over a wrap of marijuana led one Mkpor to hack his friend, known as Tunde, to death with a machete on Christmas Eve. The incident took place in Aduma ward, Mkpani in Yakkur Local Government Area in central Cross River. Reports from the area, which is about 120 kilometres away from Calabar, say Mkpor bought a wrap of marjuna from Tunde and refused to pay leading to  verbal exchange. A source in the area, Okona, told Vanguard that the assailant went to the “bunk” where Tunde sells marijuana and smoked one wrap of the weed but refused to pay. This made Tunde to ban him from going to his bunk. “I understand he was fond of causing trouble  in the bunk each time he went there. And on this occasion he ordered for a wrap of marjuna and after smoking he refused to pay. “This prompted Tunde, who operates the place, to order him out with instructions that he should not visit the place again. “The order irked  the young  man and he threatened to ki...

President Bola Tinubu has said the federal and sub-national governments have the mutual responsibility of ensuring the country’s peace and stability. Speaking during a meeting with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) at his residence in Lagos on Tuesday, the president reiterated his condemnation of the latest killings in Plateau State. Addressing the governors, the president issued a stern directive to security agencies to halt the carnage in Plateau State and intensify the pursuit of those responsible for the recent tragic events in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas. Condoling with the victims, Tinubu emphasised the sanctity of human life and called for a paradigm shift among those with contrary beliefs, cautioning them about the inevitable consequences of their actions. “Nigeria needs peace and stability to move forward. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we have to take care of it,” he said. The president acknowledged the presence of Governor Siminalayi Fubara ...

As Christians celebrate Christmas, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio(CON )has called on Nigerians to remain steadfast and hopeful regardless of the hard times citizens are  experiencing. He expressed optimism that, the pains Nigerians  are going through, occasioned by series of socio-economic upheavals shall manifest in positive outcomes through the visionary development architecture of the current national leadership in the country. Akpabio, who made the call in a Christmas message issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh admonished the Christian faithfuls to  "pray and be hopeful because with the birth of Jesus Christ, who is our symbol of hope, love and redemption, Nigeria will also overcome its current challenges". According to Akpabio, Christmas calls for deep  reflection  on the teachings of Jesus Christ, which were anchored on love for neighbour, peaceful coexistence and loyalty to constituted aut...

The Federal Government of Nigeria has been given 14 days ultimatum  to  ban online banking outfits in the country. Human Rights and pro-democracy groups which made the call in a statement they issued in Abuja, the Federal Capital  accused the online banking outfits of aiding and abetting financial crime in the country. The  Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders'Foundation (HURIDE)  and Campaign for Democracy (CD) in South East accused the online bankers of not fully complying with the operational guidelines establishing them. In the statement signed by the Executive Director, HURIDE and Chairman of  CD in the  South East, Dede Uzor A Uzor, the groups said the internet bankers short change their customers by failing to send money to the recipient at the other end and they would not return it to the sender when it does not go among other infractions. They said it takes weeks  before they could refund such money  and  in some cas...

The season of Christmas is one that symbolizes the virtues of love, and peaceful co-existence. Over the years, it has been celebrated as a season of hope anchored on God’s enduring gift of love to mankind.  Christmas stands in the lives of Christians a them to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ who is the symbol of Christianity world over.  As we celebrate this year's Christmas, I enjoin everyone to imbibe the spirit of true love and sacrifice which the birth of Jesus Christ has brought to the world.  I, also commend Prof Charles Soludo the executive governor of Anambra state for making sure, that our people to celebrate Christmas this season with their two eyes closed, as he has put up measures to ensure a crime free Christmas celebration.  I, also want to commend Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, for his efforts in also ensuring that Nnewi is safe. I want to also commended Dr Cletus Ibeto, Chi...

Former Minister of Labour Employment and Productivity, Simon Lalong, has been sworn in as a member of the 10th Senate. Lalong was sworn in on Wednesday at a session presided over by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio. He took the oath of office at about 11.57 am on the floor of the Senate. Akpabio immediately congratulated Lalong, a former governor of Plateau State, and the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Campaigns during the 2023 presidential poll that produced President Bola Tinubu. Lalong will represent Plateau-South on the platform of the APC. Lalong, a former Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, had tendered his resignation to President Tinubu earlier on Tuesday. Speaking soon after his inauguration, Lalong said he actually wanted to be a senator after he served his tenure as governor in May 2023. Lalong said, “This was my first choice, to be candid.” According to him, he opted to hold the position of minister in the inte...

The Anambra Police Command, Have Arrested a couple trafficking in a one month old baby into Anambra State from Lagos, this took place in Onitsha yesterday.  The couple confessed to buying the child for N30,000, after they were arrested at Bridgehead Onitsha, while travelling into Anambra from Lagos, after a tip off by a fellow passenger. In a press statement issued by the police spokesperson of the Anambra police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, he said: “The interception was made at Bridgehead in Onitsha on 17th December, 2023. “The good Samaritan, put a call through to Anambra Police on its Control Room hotline in Awka which then relayed the information to the Police at Bridgehead in Onitsha. “The couple were travelling in a Luxury bus belonging to a popular transport company with the baby when a co-passenger observed that the mother could not even breastfeed the baby despite its cry for food in the course of the journey. “The Police laid in wait for the luxury bus descr...

Nigeria’s election management body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is considering conducting rerun and bye-election elections across the country in the first week of February 2024. INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at a meeting with political parties on the Commission’s preparation for the forthcoming elections in the new year. He remarked that at the end of litigations arising from the 2023 general election, the courts ordered the commission to conduct rerun elections in 34 federal and state constituencies: one in the Senate, 11 federal constituencies and 22 state constituencies. He said the Commission was also required to conduct bye-elections to fill vacancies arising from the death or resignation of members of the national and state assemblies and it intends to combine and conduct the two categories of elections on the same day. It, however, said the Commission would meet to review preparations and announce a d...

Ndiakwu Otolo Community in Nnewi North LGA has empowered it's youths in the spirit of Christmas.  The National Chairman Of Ndiakwu Youth Assembly, Mazi Ikenna Egwuatu, said that his administration is running an open door policy administration and that has brought together the youths in the community.  Mazi Ikenna, made this statement during the end of year party and empowerment for the youths in the community. He urged the Youths of the community to keep away from any criminal tendencies and look for something doing, and promised that the community will support whosoever that desist from evil and bad behavior. Furthermore, the former National Chairman of the Community, Hon Jude Osumuoh, JP, in his remarks assured the Youths that himself and the Present National Chairman of Ndiakwu Otolo Nnewi Community, Hon Izuchukwu Nwankwo, will do everything within theIr ability for the Youths in the community, stressing that anyone of them that can't afford their school fees to...

The Alumni Association of the Federal Polytechnic Oko, has Held it's first IBB Annual Public Lecture Series In Honour of the former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. The National President of the Association,Nze Hnery Chukwuka Nnebe, in his welcome address said that the world gets complicated with every passing day, reason there is need to stay connected using the alumni. He stressed that with the alumni association, the students of the institution can stay connected to friends and to the vast resources still available within the institution. He however challenged members of the alumni on ways they can give back to the institution that made them what they are today. He opined that there are many ways to give back, from career and academic mentoring to volunteering time at the on and off campus events to simply attending academic and social events within the institution.   While interacting with newsmen after the lecture series he said that  "f...

President Tinubu has disclosed plans by his administration to turn Nigeria into a hub of export and import activities. The president also underscored the need for the integration of complex data to interpret the patterns of transactions and interactions in international trade. He hinted at plans by his administration to address what he termed historical inadequacies of policymaking that was thwarted by a lack of comprehensive data in Nigeria. President Tinubu disclosed this yesterday during the 2023 Comptroller-General of Customs Annual Conference at Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, saying because data is the guiding light in the ever-evolving landscape of the modern world, Nigeria can no longer afford to function in the dark. He lamented the lack of comprehensive data, saying it had been “a technological affliction” that has hindered the growth trajectory of Nigeria and the entire Africa, impeding the ability to make informed governance decisions. The presi...

In an effort to ensure transparency and efficiency in the Nigerian civil service, the federal government has suspended the salaries of 686 civil servants over unverified records on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). The move was part of ongoing efforts to streamline the country’s payroll system and eliminate ghost workers. The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, disclosed this in a statement signed by the director of Communication for the office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Mohammed Ahmed, on Wednesday. Recall that out of the 59,201 civil servants who participated fully in the verification exercise earlier in the year, 11,447 officers had discrepancies in their records. However, Yemi-Esan ordered for the verification portal to be reopened and invitation was also extended for verification exercise from October 16 to 27, 2023 for the 11,447 civil servants whose salaries were suspended to update their reco...

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC),  on  Saturday  activated operation zero in their bid to stem the level of road mishaps in the state, especially during the yuletide season. The sector commander Anambra state, Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi  made this known while interacting with journalists during a media parley in Awka over the weekend. "I n the light of the above therefore, the Command is poised to commence the Operation Zero Tolerance to RTC which starts nationwide on the 15th of December 2023 and is expected to run through 15th January, 2024.  He stressed that this will be achieved through the d eployment of about 1000 personnel State wide , who will be regular   and s pecial m arshals. “ It is expected that these personnel when deployed will   engage in robust traffic management (enforcement and traffic control) as   well as Public enlightenment, all targeted towards RTC reduction ”   He  said  that the command is do...