Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of a Presidential Transition Council to facilitate and manage the 2023 transition programme. Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, announced the approval yesterday, in a statement signed on his behalf by Director, Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Willie Bassey. The statement said the transition council would be inaugurated by the SGF on February 14.Members of the committee, according to the statement, include the SGF as chairman, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Solicitor-General of the Federation, and Permanent Secretary,…

The Naira on Thursday exchanged at 461.10 to the dollar at the Investors and Exporters window. The figure represented an appreciation by 0.02 per cent compared with the 461.17 it exchanged on Wednesday. The open indicative rate closed at N461.25 to the dollar on Thursday. An exchange rate of N462 to the dollar was the highest rate recorded within the day’s trading before it settled at N461.10. The naira sold for as low as 439.96 to the dollar within the day’s trading. A total of 40.24 million dollars was traded at the official Investors and Exporters Window on Thursday.

The Lagos State Government says it was contemplating implementing logistic routes for trucks and articulated vehicles as specified in the State’s Transport Master Plan. The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde made the disclosure at a stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Ikeja. According to NAN, Oladeinde said that the decision was made following recurring truck accidents happening within the State, especially the most recent ones which resulted in loss of lives and property. He noted that in order to curb incessant truck accidents, the stakeholders would gather periodically to chart robust strategies that would further checkmate…

On Thursday, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said it would sanction fuel stations that did not accept the use of bank transfers or Point of Sale (POS) machines at their outlets. General Manager, Corporate Communications and Stakeholders Management, NMDPRA, Kimchi Apollo, stated this in a statement in Abuja. According to Apollo, the act by the retail outlets was because of the recent cash crunch brought about by the new Naira design. The statement read in part, “It has come to the attention of the NMDPRA that some retail outlets are not accepting the use of POS…

Super Eagles forward and Italian Serie A leading goal scorer, Victor Osimhen, and in-form FC Barcelona Femeni forward, Asisat Oshoala, top the list of nominees for the ninth edition of the Nigeria Pitch Awards. The awards is scheduled to hold in the Federal Capital, Abuja on Friday, March 24, 2023. Osimhen, the record scorer of the FIFA U17 World Cup finals (with 10 goals, achieved at the finals in Chile in 2015) has continued to bang in the goals in the Italian Serie A where he is currently the leading scorer and scored four of Nigeria’s 10 goals in the…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said there are no challenges associated with the Central Admissions Processing System, CAPS. JAMB said after updating the CAPS platform to improve security to serve the institutions and the public better, all users of the platform are mandated to change their existing passwords, to which an Advisory on the landing page of the CAPS platform has been provided. In a statement signed by its Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Fabian Benjamin, JAMB said: “It has come to the knowledge of the Board that some institutions are experiencing challenges accessing their Central…

Al-Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, on Thursday scored his 500th league goal. Ronaldo hit the milestone against Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League. The 38-year-old received the ball inside the penalty area, took a couple of touches before firing a left-footed shot past the goalkeeper. It was his second goal for Al-Nassr following his move from Manchester United. Ronaldo added another before half-time. He then continued with his blistering form on the night by scoring two more in the second half. His 503 league goals have come across five clubs – 311 for Real Madrid, 103 across two spells with United,…

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on Thursday promised to supply commercial banks with plenty of funds to address the new Naira note scarcity in Kogi State. Kogi CBN Branch Controller, Ahmed Sule, made the vow while speaking with NAN in his office in Lokoja. Recall that protesters had on Wednesday picketed some commercial banks over purported non-compliance with the apex bank’s directive to make the new notes available to citizens across the nation. According to Sule, the scarcity of the new Naira might have resulted in some commercial banks not opening for customers on Wednesday and Thursday. He said,…

The Super Eagles and Atalanta forward, Ademola Lookman, has expressed optimism over choosing Nigeria at the international level over the Three Lions of England. The 25-year-old attacker was born in Wandsworth, South West London to Nigerian parents. Although, he represented England at the youth level before switching his allegiance to Nigeria following the FIFA approval to play for Nigeria on February 10, 2022. In an interview with an Italian news platform, L’Eco di Bergamo, Lookman insisted that he is happy with the decision to represent the three-time African champions. I have no regrets, I took the right decision. This is my…

The National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has declared a State of Emergency on bleaching after establishing that Nigeria today has been ranked first in cases of bleaching, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director General of NAFDAC, raised the alarm on the menace of bleaching creams in Nigeria, saying the problem has become a national emergency that calls for serious attention. She stated this while flagging off a media sensitization workshop on Dangers of Bleaching Creams and Regulatory Control organized by the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists in Kano on Thursday. She added that 77 percent of those…

The National Universities Commission, NUC, has directed the closure of all universities and inter-university centres between February 22nd and March 14. NUC said there would be no academic activities during the shutdown. The announcement was contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Administration), Chris Maiyaki. According to the statement, the decision followed concerns about the security of staff, students and the universities’ properties during the general elections scheduled from February 25 – March 14. The Commission said the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, gave the directive following consultation with relevant security agencies.

The Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service has confirmed that it will deploy the use of WhatsApp, a social media platform and the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data service to enhance less cost effective method of payment of tax. The Executive Chairman of the state revenue service agency, Dr. Zaid Abubakar, made this known on Wednesday during a public-private dialogue on revenue generation drive. The dialogue was organised by a Civil Society Organisation, Tax Justice and Governance Platform, in collaboration with KADIRS and supported by Christain Aid. He noted that WhatsApp platform, used primarily for social engagements, would ease taxpayers the stress…