Tag: Hot News - Page 201 - African News Today

Government Will not Pay a Kobo of Foreign Reserves to Import Food or Fertilizer Says President Buhari

11Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Agriculture, Economy, Finance, News, Nigeria

Government Will not Pay a Kobo of Foreign Reserves to Import Food or Fertilizer Says President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has instructed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to make forex inaccessible for people seeking to import food items and fertilizer. The President said this at the meeting of the National Food Security Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday. It restates the earlier directive on forex given by Buhari in August 2019. President Buhari asked private businesses determined to import food items to use their money to compete with local farmers, noting that government will not provide forex for such purposes in a bid to promote local production. He said, “I am restating it that nobody importing food or fertilizer should be given foreign exchange from the Central Bank. We will not pay a kobo of our foreign reserves to import food or fertilizer. ...

11Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Covid-19, News, Nigeria, Safety

Doctors Suspend Nationwide Strike

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced suspension of its nationwide strike. This was disclosed by Dr Aliyu Sokumba, President of NARD in the late hours of yesterday, This Day reports. Sokumba said the union deliberate on the progress made in negotiation with the federal government in the next two weeks. The federal government and the striking doctors on Wednesday reached an agreement to end the industrial action. During the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said federal government had approved additional N8.9 billion to offset the June 2020 COVID-19 allowance of all health workers nationwide. According to Ngige, the implementation of the payment of the Special Hazard and Inducem...

10Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Education, News, Nigeria, Security

UNIABUJA Prone to Bandit Attacks – VC

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah has said Federal government approved the sum of N400m for the building of perimeter fence for the institution. Na’Allah appealed to the government to protect the university from encroachment, revealing that the staff and students live in fear of bandits, Sahara Reporters reports. The VC said this during a visit by the Director, Department of Development Control of the Federal Capital Territory, Murkta Galadima on Tuesday, a statement by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. Habib Yakoob said. Na’Allah said the bandits, encroachment on their lands and erection of illegal structures were hindering the developmental strides in the university and posing security threat to students and staff. The stat...

Fayose Threatens to Fight Makinde, Others Seeking to Takeover Ekiti PDP Structure

10Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria

Fayose Threatens to Fight Makinde, Others Seeking to Takeover Ekiti PDP Structure

Former governor of Ekiti, Ayodele Fayose has warned Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, against tampering with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his home state, Ekiti. Fayose said he was ready to resist any attempt by anyone who wants to wrestle the leadership of the PDP in Ekiti State from him. The former governor stated this when he led national stalwarts of the party including the chairmen of the party in Osun, Ekiti, Lagos, to Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. Fayose said that despite being a zonal leader of the party as a result of his position as the only PDP governor in the South-West region, Makinde should allow local leaders lead their respective states. He said, “There has been a reasonable cold war of who and who becomes the executive of the zone....

CBN Defends Policies, Responds to NESG’s Claims

10Sep

By Obiajulu Joel Nwolu19 Comments

Covid-19, Economy, Finance, News, Nigeria, Press Statement

CBN Defends Policies, Responds to NESG’s Claims

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has defended its intervention programmes aimed at stimulating economic growth, saying it everted food crisis during the peak of COVID-19 lockdown. This was stated in a statement by the CBN titled, “Re: Matters of Urgent Attention,” signed by its Director, Corporate Communications, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, which was in response to claims by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), that its stimulus programmes were without policy clarity. According to a statement released on Monday, NESG had alleged a huge loophole between food production and the needs of Nigerians despite the enormous sums disbursed by the CBN under its intervention programs. The CBN, in its reaction defended its action claiming its intervention packages were channeled to sectors crit...

Nigerian Born Tomori on the Brink of Making Everton Switch

9Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

English Premiership, News, Nigeria, Sports

Nigerian Born Tomori on the Brink of Making Everton Switch

Chelsea’s defender, Fikayo Tomori is on the verge of signing a season-long loan with Everton. Talks have advanced between both clubs as Everton continue their busy transfer market which has seen them bolstering their squad ahead of the new season. The Toffees are believed to have hijacked the deal from French side Rennes, who were close to sealing the deal for the 21-year old defender. Everton’s interest seems to have been ignited by failure to sign Gabriel Magalhaes who opted to join London side, Arsenal. Despite a sterling start for Chelsea in his debut season, Tomori lost his place in the starting lineup after the recovery of Antonio Rudiger from injury. Chelsea coach, Frank Lampard failed to utilise Tomori for any of the club’s games after the COVID-19 enforced break. The s...

IPOB: Orji Kalu Begs for Nnamdi Kanu’s Return

9Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

News, Nigeria, Photos, Security

IPOB: Orji Kalu Begs for Nnamdi Kanu’s Return

Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor has asked Nigerian government to permit leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to return to Nigeria. The Senate Chief Whip said negotiations for Kanu’s return would involve abandonment of his movement for the creation of an independent state of Biafra. Kalu’s appeal was made on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The former governor expressed displeasure at misleading statements and unverified reports media houses publish about him. He cited an instance of his promise in an interview to transform Nigeria to a 21st century nation if he had the chance to govern the country but some online news outlets misquoted him to have said the 20th century. “I am a friend of the ...

Soldiers Kill Benue’s Wanted Militia Leader, Gana

9Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Crime, News, Nigeria, Security

Soldiers Kill Benue’s Wanted Militia Leader, Gana

The Commander of the Four Special Forces command, Doma, Nasarawa State, Maude Ali Gadzama on Tuesday confirmed the killing of Terwase Akwaza, popularly known as Gana who had been declared wanted in Benue state. Gadzama said Gana was gunned down in a fire fight with military personnel along Gbese-Gboko road. Recall the Benue State Government had in 2015, offered Gana amnesty along with about 500 people but most of them returned to their alleged criminal activities. He was declared wanted by the Police in 2017 while the Benue State government offered a N10 million bounty for his capture. Confirming the killing, Gadzama said, “About 12:00 hours on Tuesday, we received strategic information on the movement of the dreaded bandit Terwase Akwaza Agbadu AKA Gana along Gbese-Gboko-Makur...

If we Truly Deregulated, Shouldn’t Fuel Price Drop? Atiku Queries

8Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Cost of Living, News, Nigeria, Petroleum

If we Truly Deregulated, Shouldn’t Fuel Price Drop? Atiku Queries

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has questioned the recent increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), credited to the deregulation of the petroleum sector by asking, “if we truly deregulated, shouldn’t fuel price drop?” The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presential candidate in the 2019 election expressed his lack of understanding of the rational behind the increase in a tweet posted on his official Twitter handle. He said that as a businessman, he is concerned with the economic perspective of affairs. Atiku made a comparison between the present price of crude and what was obtainable in 2019. He added that fuel prices are far lower now in US and Europe than they were in 2019. His reaction adds to the pool of criticisms that have trailed the increment of petrol p...

Government Cannot Afford to Subsidise Petrol in the Face of Revenue Drop, Says Buhari

8Sep

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Economy, News, Nigeria, Petroleum

Government Cannot Afford to Subsidise Petrol in the Face of Revenue Drop, Says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration cannot afford to subsidise Premium Motor Spirit, widely known as petrol, as Nigeria’s revenue has remarkably dropped. The President disclosed this during the opening of the First Year Ministerial Performance Review Retreat at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Buhari said a return to the era of subsidy would lead to ‘several negative consequences,’ among which is the long queues at filling stations for hours before petrol could be bought. His view has been countered by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Academic Staff Union of Nigeria (ASUU), who called on President Buhari to fulfil his promise to rehabilitate the country’s refineries. The Buhari administration had in March deregulated the petroleum sector allowing petrol p...