At the ongoing 148th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) holding at the International Conference Centre, Geneva, Switzerland, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the Senate Chairman on Local Content, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, have taken time out to discuss trade Senator Natasha who has been at the forefront of advocacy of export opportunities for Nigeria urged Dr Okonjo-Iweala to help facilitate access to global markets for Nigerian businesses, and enhance export capabilities to bolster economic growth and diversification. She urged Nigeria to take advantage of the opportunities that African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and Centre…
Author: National Update
***As Assembly passes vote of no confidence on the distribution company Apparently piqued by the poor electricity supply to the state, the Niger State House of Assembly has directed the state governor Rt Hon Umar Mohammed Bago to as a matter of urgency commence the process of pulling the state out of the states being covered by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC). The House indicated that with the state playing host to four hydro electricity dams, accounting for 60 percent of electricity in the country, there is no justification why it cannot enjoy a minimum of 18 hours of…
By Ehichioya Ezomon A tell-tale photograph from the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja showed Senator and former Governor Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), beaming, and hugging the party candidate for the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State, Sen. Monday Okpebholo (APC, Edo Central), for accepting to run with Rep. Dennis Idahosa (APC, Ovia Federal Constituency). Self-assured Oshiomhole’s elated because he’s somewhat regained his mojo that’s lost over the scheming for the APC flagbearer – which he’d primed for Idahosa, but clinched by Okpebholo through the backing of two-time governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. And…
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse The earlier plan by the Jigawa state government to commut N2.8 billion for Ramadan feeding programme may have been put at hold by government following its insistence on due process in the procurement of food items and other materials needed for the project. Reports from the state indicated that the state governor, Malam Umar Namadi had on the 8th of March, few days to the commencement of the Ramadan fast for Muslims launched the feeding programme at the Aminu Kano Triangle in Dutse the state capital. Checks by our reporter in the state revealed that the…
***Expresses concern over accommodation shortage The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Professor Farouk Adamu Kuta has warned the newly admitted students of the University to stay clear from cultism and any form of fraud or financial crimes, saying that the institution has zero tolerance for all form of indiscipline in the school. The Vice Chancellor gave the warning on Monday during the Matriculation ceremony of 5,532 students for the 2023/2024 academic session at the university convocation square Gidan kwano campus Minna, the Niger capital. He reminded the students that the university only awards degrees to…
From Daniel Abel, Lafia Anger and condemnation have continued to pour in as residents and concerned citizens across the country have continue to heap blames on the state government and the university authority over the avoidable death of two students of the Nasarawa state University. The opposition People’s Democratic party (PDP) in a statement blamed the sudden death of some students of Nasarawa state University Keffi on poor arrangements for the distribution of the palliative. The party in a one-page statement issued and signed by its Chairman, Francis Orogu criticized the administration of governor Abdullahi Sule over what it described…
The United States government has indicated its readiness to collaborate with the Ministry of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy to roll out initiatives that will bring about creative success in music and television script writing. The US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield made this known when she paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Art Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa in Abuja on Thursday. Special Adviser on media and publicity Nneka Ikem Anibeze in a statement quoted Satterfield to have indicated that the US government will use public diplomacy…
***Nigeria cannot get it unless those voted are the ones declared Unless and until who is voted by the Nigerian people whether Local Government chairman, as a governor, as a president are the ones declared, unless that happens we are not getting anywhere, Prof Don McWarra has indicated. Speaking on Thursday at the annual lecture and Book Launch in honour of Prof Emeritus Benidicta Egbo with the theme Reclaiming Nigeria’s Future: Strategic Framework for Achieving Transformative Change, the professor of governance, McWarra who was a discussant at the lecture said for that to happen, INEC for example needs somebody who…
A legal practitioner, Aare Oba Oladotun Hassan has urged the Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come up with a national Policy plan on Education to raise the bar in budgetary allocation to the sector to 25% of the annual budget in line with UNESCO standards. A breakdown of the immediate past administration’s annual budgetary allocations between 2016 to 2023 showed that N369.6 billion or 7.9% was allocated in 2016; N550.5 billion or 7.4% in 2017; N605.8 % in 2018 and N620.5 billion or 7.05% of the annual budgets were approved for the education sector in his first term spanning…
By Tunde Olusunle Doubts aside, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, (PDP), is yet to recover from its loss to the All Progressives Congress, (APC), at the 2015 polls. The PDP lost the presidency and also had its numerical strength shrunken in government houses, national parliament and state assemblies across the nation. For a party which was on a smooth sail during the first 16 years of the Fourth Republic, operating from the trenches of opposition was a tough job. Olisa Metuh the ebullient attorney who had held several important positions within the hierarchies of the PDP gave a voice to the…