NIGERIAN NOTCH

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos says building a world class health system is a priority of his administration. Sanwo-Olu said this on Friday in Lagos during the Y2021 Health Forum with the theme, “The Art of Building a World Class Health System.” The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was organised by the Lagos State Government in collaboration with the State Health Service Commission (HSC). Sanwo-Olu, represented by Mrs Folasade Jaji, Secretary to the State Government, noted that establishing a robust health system would complement the status of a mega city and 21st century economy desired for the state. He said that the development of the health sector to adequately cater to the health needs of the people effectively and efficiently had been a priority of his administration, as expressed in the THEMES agenda. According to him, achieving this goal will entail enhancing the delivery capacity of all health facilities at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. He sa...

  The Young Progressives Party (YPP) governorship aspirant in Ekiti, Mr Debo Ajayi, has identified the lack of visionary leadership as the major cause of underdevelopment in the state. Ajayi who made this known in a statement he issued on Friday, through his party’s secretariat in Abuja, vowed to change the narratives if given the opportunity to govern the state. He noted that the time has come for men of integrity and vision to take over the mantle of leadership in the state, provide direction and fix the broken system. The governorship aspirant said part of the visionary leadership he would offer if elected into office would be to tap into the intellectual assets that are in abundance in the state and also ensure a private sector-driven economy. “We will invest massively in the youths who will be drivers of our proposed knowledge-driven economy. “Politics in Nigeria is rapidly evolving with renewed consciousness made increasingly possible by the obvious leadership failure since t...

The Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele has assured the Super Eagles of Federal Government’s support in the team’s quest for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in Cameroon. Emefiele gave the assurance when he visited the team in company of top Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials in Garoua, Cameroon. The CBN governor commended the efforts of the Super Eagles players and officials with a call on them to continue to be patriotic. “You will continue to be rewarded, but most importantly, you should see this outing as service to the nation. I can assure you that everything is being done by the government to make Nigerian youths happy. “Continue to make Nigerians happy just as you have done, members of government delegation are always present and ready to give you all the support,” he said. Earlier, NFF President Amaju Pinnick thanked the CBN governor and his delegation for the visit, with a pledge to always make the nation proud. “We indeed thank the extremely passion...

Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, says Nigeria is pleased with the contributions of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to humanitarian efforts in the country. Osinbajo’s spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, in a statement on Friday, said the vice president received a delegation from OCHA led by the Undersecretary/Emergency Response Coordinator, Mr Martin Griffiths, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. According to Osinbajo, no matter the challenge or resource constraint, people need to know that their government will always be in a position to support and make provisions for them. “We have challenges; post-pandemic challenges, resource constraints, but we still have to make provisions for the millions of people, who expect that government must be in a position to support them in a terrible and challenging period. “We are extremely pleased with OCHA; its contribution to all humanitarian efforts. “The experience OCHA brings to the table is one of dealing with ...

The price of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) basket of 13 crude oil samples stood at $86.54 per barrel as at Monday, Jan. 17. This is compared with $85.46 per barrel of the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abuja as released by OPEC on Tuesday. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB), introduced on June 16, 2005 is currently made up of the Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Djeno (Congo) and Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea). Others include Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).  Credits: (NAN)

The National Economic Council (NEC) says it has yet to take a decision on the issue of fuel subsidy removal as deliberations are still ongoing. Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo fielded questions from State House correspondents after the NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. According to the governor, NEC has been deliberating on the issue of  fuel subsidy for more than a year. “There was an ad hoc committee set up by NEC and headed by Gov. Nasir El-Rufai that included members of the executive arm of government and worked on recommendations as to what we should do about the cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) locally.  “Because as you realise, as it has been told us, the cost of PMS in Nigeria today is about N162 for a litre whereas every other country surrounding Nigeria is selling the product at more than 100 per cent of the cost in Nigeria. “The country, as at last year, spent in excess of …; we must have the exact f...

The Kano State Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA)  has reached an agreement with tricycles operators in the state to reduce their operational permit from N8, 000 to N5, 000. This is contained in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Agency, Alhaji Nabulusi Abubakar on Thursday in Kano. The tricycles operators had gone on strike from Jan. 10 to Jan. 12 to protest against the N8, 000 operational permit levied on them. Abubakar said that the  meeting between the two parties was held at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Farm Centre, Kano. “Those present at the meeting include the counsel to the tricycle operators, Mr Abba Hikima,  the Managing Director of KAROTA, Mr Baffa Babba-Dan’agundi, a representative of the State Government and the Legislative Coalition of the State. “The parties agreed to a daily ticket payment of N100, per day, Sunday inclusive, a new motor vehicle drivers permit adjustment fee from N18, 000 to N12, 000, and a renewal fee reduction from N8,000...

Imo State Government yesterday alleged that the blood of Somtochukwu , murdered in the course of Rochas Okorocha's Government was now haunting the former governor, hence his current manifestation of signs of early insanity. According to the Government, the blood of the 11yr old boy  killed when security agents stormed Ekeukwu market, Owerri on the orders of Okorocha is seeking for vengeance. The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba, in a statement said because the boy's blood had not been appeased,it is now haunting Okorocha which is beginning to manifest in his recent lunatic behaviour  Emelumba noted that the recent behavior of the former governor now borders on early insanity which needs to be checked before it develops to full madness. "Is it not worrisome that Okorocha has veered from psychotic paranoid to being a clown and now a choir master of an area boys choir? I think those who mean well for him should take a closer look at him...

  .......SAYS ANYONE WHO TAKES PDP SERIOUSLY OWES OKOROCHA AN APOLOGY.  A youth group known as Global Association of concerned Imo youths (GACIY) has said that Imo PDP; is a den of snakes, scorpion,blackmailers and perverts. In a press release made avaliable to newsmen in Owerri, the group stated that Imo PDP is fast becoming a caricature of itself going by the many publications and falsehoods it has been spreading over the goverment of Imo State lately.  The group however stressed that "Over the weekend, Imo PDP – a den of shameless scoundrels, venomous snakes, scorpions, backstabbers, blackmailers and perverts – released a string of hate materials on Governor Uzodimma's second year in office as part of its failed bid to "create conditions neccessary for regime change". From _"Uzodimma has plunged Imo into debt slavery"_, to _"Imo has collapsed under Uzodimma"_ and every other nonsense in between, the PDP spat, and still spits at Imo, all in the ...

-UZODIMMA’S TWO-YEAR SCORECARD: BRILLIANT, UNPRECEDENTED AND PHENOMENAL.  The attention of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Imo State chapter under the indefatigable chairmanship of Hon. Macdonald Kelechi Ebere, PhD, KSJI, has been drawn to a sloppy, incoherent and unfounded press statement credited to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State, wherein they passed a jaundiced, misleading, biased, dishonest and undeserving verdict on Governor Hope Uzodimma’s two years in office. Inasmuch as we are not threatened or perturbed by such uncomplimentary, fallacious and mischievous remark from the PDP, as we do not expect or anticipate that our roundly defeated and angry opponent to cheer and applaud our superlative performance, however, what we find very worrisome and irritating is the penchant of the leadership of PDP for fabrication and propagation of falsehood, distortion of facts and figures to achieve premeditated and ill-conceived political objectives. It is no lon...