Author: TheScrutinyNG

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has allayed fears over the new COVID-19 Variant, XEC, urging Nigerians not to create unnecessary panic. The NCDC said though there has been a reported rise in COVID-19 cases linked to the XEC variant, in 43 countries across different continents, Europe, Asia, North America and recently in Botswana, Africa, there has not been reported case in Nigeria since January 2024 of the XEC variant which are descendants of the Omicron lineage JN.1. The NCDC noted that the SARS-CoV-2 XEC subvariant, a descendant of the Omicron lineage, has been detected in several countries, including…

US president-elect, Donald Trump, said on Sunday that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was keen for a deal to end his country’s war with Russia, after the pair met in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted three-way talks with Zelensky and Trump at the Elysee Palace on Saturday, almost three years into Moscow’s invasion and ahead of Trump taking office in January. “Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too…

Oppositions have continued to mount, especially from the northern part of the country, over the Tax Reform Bills as a Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has said that the bills, if allowed to say through, pose a significant threat to tye region. The group believes the reforms risk dismantling the economic and social fabric of the region. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, the CNG Coordinator, Mr. Faisal Salisu, described the tax reforms as a significant threat to the North. He criticized the Tinubu administration for proposing sweeping changes that could disproportionately harm the region, particularly amid existing challenges…

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in Ogun State has decried the total neglect and poor funding of polytechnics across the state. The JAC stated that the state government, over the past 15 years, has failed to increase the N5 million monthly subvention allocated to polytechnics despite the prevailing economic challenges. Additionally, the committee demanded the implementation of the new minimum wage, which Governor Dapo Abiodun had approved for workers in the state. The Zonal Coordinator of ASUP Zone C, Comrade Nurudeen Masopa, expressed these concerns during a press conference held at the…

The Federal Government has said that the Tax Reform Bills currently generating uproar, especially in the northern part of the country, are not meant to undermine Nigeria’s democracy. This is as the Federal Government has started wooing the north to buy into the proposed executive bills. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who spoke on behalf of the Tinubu administration at a recent event, said that decision to introduce the bills was not to undermine democracy. Idris stated this while giving an address at the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) 2024 Annual Public Lecture/AGM and Awards on…

One person has been reported dead while several others were injured as a violent clash erupted between Fulani herdsmen and some local youths in Lano village, located in the Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State. The injured are currently receiving medical attention at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) in Gombe. The conflict also led to houses being set ablaze, causing damage to property that has yet to be quantified. The State Police Command has confirmed the incident and condemned the violence, describing it as uncalled for and unnecessary. Commissioner of Police Hayatu Usman has directed a thorough investigation to…

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says the club has become “mediocre” and warned more “difficult and unpopular decisions” will be needed to get it back where he wants it to be. Ratcliffe has come under fire from United fans for scrapping concessions of what the club says are the 3% of tickets that remain unsold for Premier League matches and introducing a minimum price of £66. The move triggered protests at Old Trafford before last weekend’s victory over Everton. However, speaking to the respected ‘United We Stand’ fanzine, external, Ratcliffe says the move is aimed at trying to make…

The Federal Government has issued a warning about the newly detected XEC COVID-19 variant, which has spread to 29 countries globally. This variant was first reported in Australia and has shown a growth advantage over other circulating strains, raising concerns about its potential impact on public health. The XEC variant is a recombinant strain, meaning it is a hybrid of two pre-existing COVID subvariants. It has mutations that may affect how the virus behaves or its potential impact on human health. To address this concern, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has written the Chairman, Committee of Chief Medical…

Manchester United lost 2-3 to Nottingham Forest on Saturday in the Premier League as Ruben Amorin suffered his second consecutive defeat as well as his first one at Old Trafford. The win marked the first time.in thirty years that Forest would beat United at the Old Trafford. The visitors took the lead in the second minute through Nikola Milenkovic but Rasmus Hojlund levelled. United were rocked again at the start of the second half by Morgan Gibbs-White, and Chris Wood made it 3-1. Bruno Fernandes struck a fine shot from just outside the box to give United hope just after…

The lawmaker representing Ethiope East/West Federal Constituency of Delta State, Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, has filed an affidavit to support her originating summon, listing her reasons for dumping the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), and why her seat should not be declared vacant. Deposing the affidavit at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja recently, the Federal lawmaker listed the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Clerk of the House and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as defendants wherein he said his purpose for leaving the 3rd defendant was as a result or protracted crises…