Author: TheScrutinyNG

The UK Government on Friday donated advanced counter-Improvised Explosives Devices to Operation Hadin Kai Theatre Command Joint Task Force in Maiduguri. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the donation of the equipment marks another milestone in the strategic partnership between the UK and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Counter-IED equipment is created primarily for military and law enforcement. They are used for standoff detection of explosives and explosive precursor components and defeating Improvised Explosives Devices. The equipment was handed over to the Theatre Commander, Maj.-Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, by the representatives of the British Defence Staff West Africa in the…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), on Friday, said there has been no request for funding from the Nigerian Government. Abebe Selassie, the head of African Department at the IMF, made this known Friday on the sidelines of the World Bank/IMF meetings in Washington DC. Mr Selassie spoke at the regional economic outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa press conference. Premium Times reports that the Nigerian government has, in recent times, effected reforms it said are aimed at restructuring the economy and fixing structural distortions. The government recently removed subsidies on petrol and unified the various windows of the foreign exchange market. The…

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has confirmed that two more bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter that crashed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Thursday. Initial reports said three had been recovered even though the police said all eight passengers and crew members were feared dead.  However, two more bodies have been recovered from the crash, leaving three still unaccounted for. SaharaReporters reported earlier on Friday that the Rivers State Police Command had announced that all eight occupants of an Eastwind Aviation helicopter that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday were feared…

In the bid to fight unemployment, the Federal Government through the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has announced plans to engage and train no fewer than 93,731 unskilled and unemployed persons across the country. The Director General of NDE, Silas Ali Agara who spoke with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital said that the initiative is in line with the renewed hope agenda of the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Represented by the state coordinator, Sanusi Akeem Olugbenga, the DG said prospective youths and individuals should register online or visit the NDE offices in their states for further information…

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has voiced confidence in the party’s ability to capture Rivers State, pledging to rebuild and strengthen its local chapter. Ganduje shared this vision on Thursday in Abuja while welcoming Dawari Ibietela George, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), back into the APC. He described George as a significant political addition, commending his experience and expressing optimism that George’s return would further reinforce the APC’s position in Rivers State. “We are committed to making Rivers State a stronghold for the APC,” Ganduje said. “Rivers State will be…

Enyinnaya Abaribe, the senator representing Abia South at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly, has accused President Bola Tinubu of showing the Southeast “renewed shege.” Abaribe faulted the cabinet reshuffling, which saw the appointment of Bianca Ojukwu as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Tinubu had removed five ministers while appointing seven and reassigning 10 to new portfolios. The president relieved Uju-Ken Ohanenye, the Minister of Women Affairs, from her duties. Reacting, Abaribe said relieving a Southeast Minister and replacing with another “doesn’t feel like progress.” Speaking with Arise TV, Abaribe said, “For my constituents, nothing has changed.…

The presidency has explained the reason Bello Matawalle, the Minister of State for Defence, survived the recent cabinet shakeup. A statement by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President gave reasons despite avalanche of accusations the former Zamfara State governor had faced linking him to bandit groups. However, Onanuga clarified that the allegations were thoroughly investigated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and found to be baseless. Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, Onanuga stated: “As far as I know, most of those things are just mere allegations. In one of them,…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State said its team stayed away from the joint transition committee meeting because the outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration failed to present necessary documents that would enable a smooth transition process. APC, in a statement signed by its transition committee secretary, Barr Patrick Ikhariale, said the development had hindered its work. Ikhariale said the APC Transition Committee, led by a former deputy governor of the state,  Dr. Pius Odubu, only wanted to clarify the false claims and untruths dished out by officials of the state government, overtly or covertly.…

Following a threat to evict beggars from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, the League of Northern Democrats (LND), on Thursday, urged the federal and state governments to make adequate provisions ahead of the plan to relocate the “beggars” from Abuja, who they said are mostly displaced persons from northern states ravaged by insecurity and economic hardship. LND, in a memo addressed to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, on his plan to remove beggars from Abuja streets, said the beggars should not be treated as garbage, criminals or public nuisance. While appealing for empathy towards the “beggars”,…

Debates bothering on how various regional development commissions as established by the National Assembly seem to have divided the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. During the plenary session, Senators voted to remove specific provisions from Section 23 of the establishment bills that conferred operational immunity on the boards and executives of these commissions. The discussion centred around the South-South Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024, which served as a framework for the other commissions. The Senate Committee on Special Duties recommended that the federal government allocate 15% of the statutory allocations from member states to fund the commissions. However, several…