NIGERIAN NOTCH

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has asked all authorised dealers in the foreign exchange market to desist from reporting inaccurate and misleading information on transactions concluded in the financial market. In a circular to all the market dealers, the central bank said ongoing investigations have revealed instances of underreporting of transaction rates and the practice of ‘second cheques’ on foreign exchange and fixed-income transactions. The CBN had permitted financial markets transactions to be conducted on a ‘willing buyer willing seller’ basis, by which prices are expected to be quoted and displayed transparently. Many of the players in the market are reported to be flouting the order, thereby causing distortions in the market. “The attention of the CBN has been drawn to the practice of Authorised Dealers (and their customers) in reporting inaccurate and misleading information on transactions concluded in the financial market. “This behaviour is not compliant with...

The Head of National Office, West African Examinations Council, WAEC, Nigeria, Dr. Amos Josiah, said yesterday that despite initial resistance, 8285 candidates have registered for the first maiden computer-based West African Senior School Certificate Examination, CB-WASSCE, first series examination. The examination slated for Wednesday, January 31 to Saturday, February 17, will see candidates get their results released after 45 days of the examination. In a statement, Dr. Josiah explained that the body has put in place measures to have a successful examination. He said: “The conduct of the Computer Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination, CB-WASSCE, for private candidates, 2024 – first series – will take place from Wednesday, January 31 and end on Saturday, February 17, 2024, in Nigeria, spanning two (weeks and four days. ”Plans have, therefore, been concluded for this first-ever computer-based examination, which will be delivered in hybrid mode. “The hybri...

THE Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District,  Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah has promised to make Anambra a destination of sorts through collaborative efforts if he becomes governor of the state in 2025. He said, “Anambra flag will be mounted in many capitals of the world to attract development to the state and our people in the diaspora will be motivated to come and invest at home”,   Senator Ubah who was formerly a pillar of the Young Progressive Party the YPP,  as the only Senator elected on its platform, where he carried the party to national limelight, recently defected to the All Progress Congress, in a bid to aling with the government at the center to bring the desired dividends of democracy to Anambrians. It's worthy of note that from all indication has interest to challenge the incumbent governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo in the contest of who becomes governor of the state in 2025.  In an interactive chat with newsmen at his coun...

....70% of Nigerian seaports comatose — PCC The Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu got a boost to the Marine and  Blue economy initiative as the EDIB International Limited of Hong Kong has expressed its willingness to provide finance  for development of  the $27.29billion  Escravos Seaport Industrial Complex (ESIC) project. The project located in Escravos (Gbaramatu Island/Omadino) Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State is a development project to be implemented through a Joint Venture Partnership (JVP) with a Nigeria firm Mercury Maritime Concession Company Limited (MMCC). According to Chief Kwame Springer, Chairman of EDIB International Ltd through their consultancy Blue Dot Wealth Limited headed by Mr Alexander Takpi-Young a Director of BDW dated 15.01.2024, EDIB International Limited is seeking government security over EDIB International Limited’s $27.29 billion funding of the ESIC project. EDIB Inter...

The Lagos State spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Hakeem Amode, has confirmed the release of the kidnapped state party chairman, Mr Philip Aivoji. In a message on Monday, Amode, the Lagos State PDP Publicity Secretary, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that Aivoji was released after he had spent four days with the kidnappers. “We use this opportunity to appreciate your prayers and to thank you all for your concerns and prayers,” Amode said. Aivoji was kidnapped on Thursday in the Ogere area of Ogun on the Ibadan-Lagos expressway. On Thursday, the party chairman was returning from the PDP South-West zonal meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State. The abductors had earlier contacted his family, demanding a N200 million ransom, but Amode would not confirm whether or not there was any payment before his release. The party thanked security agencies and government authorities that facilitated his freedom.

Federal government is set to commence the second phase of vaccination against the Human papillomavirus (HPV) by May 2024, in 21 states. The executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja. The first phase of the vaccination was rolled out in October 2023, targeting 7.7 million girls (aged 9 to 14) in 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The 21 states for the second phase of the vaccination are Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyl, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. Muyi noted that the launch of the HPV vaccine was a major step towards expanding the portfolio of vaccines that are freely available to Nigerians. “Later this year, actually by May, we will be rolling out the second phase to states,” he said. Speaking further, the ED expressed the federal government’s commitment to quality...

BY  RAYMOND OZOJI,  Awka  As the bill establishing the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) awaits President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's assent to formalise its operations in the country, it is of paramount importance to state that the role of hunters in fighting crimes and criminalities can not be over emphasized because hunters have proven themselves to be credible security alternatives due to their vast experience as well as knowledge of the bushes and forests.  While other paramilitary outfits like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigeria Correctional Service and some others exist to compliment the efforts of the Nigeria Police, the Military and others, the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) could come in handy to provide local security working in concert with local vigilantes in rural areas to beef up community policing.  Hunters have exhib...

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested Bello Mohammed, a 28-year-old suspected kidnapper from Zamfara State, in Kaduna State. He is accused of killing Nabeeha, who was kidnapped along with her family members in Bwari, FCT, Abuja. Force PRO, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, stated that the Divisional Police Officer, Tafa Division, acting on intelligence, raided a hotel in the Tafa area of Kaduna and apprehended Bello with N2.25 million, suspected to be proceeds from ransoms collected from kidnapping victims in the area. Adejobi disclosed that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to being part of the gang that kidnapped the family members of Barrister Ariyo in Bwari, FCT, on 2nd January 2024. He also admitted to killing several kidnapped victims, including Nabeeha, the daughter of the legal practitioner, on 13th January 2024, in a kidnappers’ camp in Kaduna State “The suspect, in a dramatic situation, offered N1,000,000 to induce the DPO, who rejected the offer and...

A team of Nigeria Hunter and Forest Security Service has discovered the corpse comb a forest  in imo state where they discovered some decomposed bodies  of  kidnappers' victims. Details Later....  Viewer Discretion advised

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL), has said it realised N8.81 trillion as revenue in 2022. According to the financial statement posted on its website, revenue of NNPC Group rose by 37.32 per cent — from N6.42 trillion in 2021 to N8.81 trillion in 2022. The company disclosed this in its audited financial statements for the 16-month period ending December 2022, following pressure from various stakeholders for it to open its books for scrutiny. According to the report, the group’s profit-after-tax (PAT) rose to its highest level at N2.523 trillion — a 273.9 per cent increase from the N674 billion recorded in 2021. The profit was attributed to the “owners of the company” (N2.521 trillion) and “non-controlling interests” (N1.78 billion). Further breakdown showed that NNPC Group had a total current assets of N21.59 trillion and a total current liabilities of N49.35 trillion at the end of 2022, while its total assets increased by 260.48 percent from N16.27 t...