Author: Fishe

Amnesty International has decried what it describes as the utter failure of the Nigerian authorities to learn from the heartbreak of Chibok town in Borno State and, ultimately, to protect children. The non-governmental organisation made the assertion in a statement on Friday upon the backdrop of the ninth anniversary of Boko Haram’s abduction of 276 students from a girls’ secondary school in Chibok. At least 98 girls are reportedly still being held by Boko Haram and a slew of abductions have taken place since. Since the Chibok schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram, other schools have been targeted, with girls…

It’s all green as Captain Onone Ebi, Jennifer Echegini and Desire Oparanozie were all on target as the Super Falcons extended their winning run to three games following a 3-0 victory against New Zealand in a friendly encounter at the Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Turkey on Tuesday. New Zealand dominated the early exchanges pinning the Super Falcons to their own half. The first chance of the game, however, fell to Nigeria but Esther Okoronkwo failed to direct Asisat Oshoala’s cross from a free-kick on target. Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie produced a superb save to deny the Ferns on 20 minutes. Rasheed…

Protesters interrupted French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday as he gave a keynote speech about European sovereignty during a state visit to the Netherlands. The 45-year-old French leader has faced a series of protests and strikes in France against his pension reforms, with a new day of industrial action scheduled for Thursday. “Where is French democracy? When did we lose it?” shouted the demonstrators, who were in the audience in the Amare theatre in The Hague where Macron was starting his address, AFP journalists saw. Two female protesters held up a yellow banner saying “President of violence and hypocrisy” while…

House of Representatives committee has commenced investigation on “illegal sales” of crude oil by officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), on missing oil. The committee, headed by Mark Gbillah commenced the investigation on Tuesday with an appearance by the Code of Conduct Bureau. It would be recalled that the green chamber had resolved to embark on the investigation following a motion moved by Isiaka Ibrahim. Ibrahim had alleged in his motion that the officials of the NNPC had sold 48 million barrels of oil in China but failed to remit the money into the federation account. The speaker…

Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, the Falconets will begin preparations for the WAFU B Championship this week. The Falconets are among the seven teams that will participate in the inaugural edition of the competition. The Nigerian girls have been drawn in Group A with hosts Ghana, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire. The competition will run from May 20 to June 4. Niger Republic, Benin Republic and Togo are in Group B. Matches in the competition will be played at the Baba Yara Sports Complex and Kwame KyeI Sports Complex.

The Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT), has recommended that users of the popular messaging app, WhatsApp, set up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), to avoid falling victim to account takeover by hackers. In an advisory issued on Tuesday, NCC-CSIRT noted that WhatsApp, which is a Meta-owned service, is increasingly becoming a prime target for hackers and scammers who are always looking for ways to gain unauthorized access to users’ accounts. The CSIRT described two-factor authentication (2FA), as an identity and access management security method that requires two forms of identification to access resources and data. According to the…

Following unfolding events on interim government scheme, the House of Representatives has condemned the talks by aggrieved politicians. The condemnation was issued on Tuesday following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Unyime Idem, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lawmaker from Akwa-Ibom. It would be recalled that the DSS had in a statement said Nigerians should take the threat of interim government seriously. President-Elect, Bola Tinubu is due to be sworn in on May 29, however, those aggrieved with the outcome of the election have raised concerns. Mr. Unyime while moving the motion, said politicians are…

Nigerian Defence Headquarters has reacted calm Nigerians following videos on social media showing the presence of United Nations fighting vehicles and equipment in Benin, Edo State. A statement on Tuesday by Acting Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau said the sighting has caused insinuations and fears for what such presence could mean. He however, clarified that Nigeria is contributing troops to UN peacekeeping, the most recent being United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), in Southern Sudan, Gusau clarified. The spokesperson noted that the mission is commanded by a Nigerian, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr, saying the UN…

World oil prices soared Monday after several top producers led by Saudi Arabia sprang surprise output cuts that defied US calls for higher production to keep inflation down. Crude futures surged almost eight percent at one stage after multiple members of the OPEC+ exporters’ alliance unexpectedly slashed production by a total of more than one million barrels per day in a bid to stabilise the market. The shock reduction, unveiled on Sunday by Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, will start in May and last until the end of the year. It came on top…

There was major Uproar on Wednesday as members of House of Representatives clashed on over a bill seeking to legalise cultivation, sale and use of cannabis, also known as marijuana for commercial purposes. Two members of the House, Benjamin Kalu and Olumide Osoba, had sponsored a fresh bill seeking to amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, to expand the scope of the anti-narcotics agency to issue licences for the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana. The legislation was titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the…

The United Kingdom Government says it is collating relevant information to take action against some individuals who engaged in or incite electoral violence and other anti-democratic behaviours in the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections in Nigeria.  In a statement on Wednesday, British High Commission said actions such as UK visa ban will be imposed on such individuals. The UK’s statement was released about 24 hours after the United States Government threatened to take “all available actions” against those who undermined the just-concluded elections in Nigeria. The statement was signed by the Senior Communications and Public Diplomacy Officer, Atinuke…

After granting interview, the Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday suspended former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; former president of the Senate, Pius Anyim; Prof Dennis Ityavyar and Aslam Aliyu. The suspension, which takes effect on Thursday was arrived at after an extensive review of the affairs of the party, pursuant to the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017). The PDP also referred the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, to the National Disciplinary Committee over his reported involvement in anti-party activities. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba. “The…