Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Senators unanimously voted on Thursday to reject a bill seeking to establish the South-South Development Commission. The lawmakers after an extensive deliberation on the bill stood it down following stiff opposition from northern senators. Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, stepped down the bill when he sensed that the mood in the Senate did not support it. The bill which was sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River -South) titled, “A Bill for an Act to Establish the South-South Development Commission charged with the responsibility to receive and manage funds from the Federation Account Allocation and other sources, donations, grants,…

Borussia Dortmund on Thursday said they had signed Serhou Guirassy from Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart, ending their long pursuit of the Guinean striker. “Borussia Dortmund have strengthened their attack with the signing of 28-year-old Serhou Guirassy from VfB Stuttgart,” announced Dortmund on X. The agreement with the striker was delayed after Guirassy’s initial medical at Dortmund revealed an injury that required “further investigation”, according to the club. After additional tests, Dortmund established that a knock picked up by Guirassy in an international game towards the end of the season did “not need to be operated (on)”, the club said in a…

The Federal Government has permitted tertiary institutions to offer admission to students who are 16 years and above in the 2023/24 admission exercise. The new age of 18 for admission will take effect next year. The decisions were reached at the ongoing policy meeting on 2023/2024 admissions in Abuja. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman had pegged the admission age of undergraduates to 18. But following protests from stakeholders at the ongoing Policy meeting organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the minister backtracked and agreed that students who are not 18 but had already written the…

Italy’s competition watchdog said Thursday that it had opened an investigation into Google and its parent company Alphabet over suspected “unfair commercial practices” linked to user data consent requests sent to consumers. “The request for consent that Google submits to its users to the linking of the services offered may constitute a misleading and aggressive commercial practice,” the AGCM competition authority said in a statement. “Indeed, it appears to be accompanied by inadequate, incomplete and misleading information and it could influence the choice of whether and to what extent consent should be given,” it said. Google did not immediately respond…

Stakeholders and attendees at the ongoing policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, are protesting as the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, declared that only candidates who have attained the age of 18 would henceforth be given admission into tertiary institutions in the country. Mamman, who was restating his earlier position that candidates below 18 were responsible for crises in the nation’s universities, received open protests from participants at the event. Right after the minister made the announcement at the event held in the Body of Benchers’ auditorium in Abuja, everyone in the hall began protesting…

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Thursday announced a ban on admissions for candidates under the age of 18 into tertiary institutions in the country. Mamman announced during the 2024 policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. “JAMB is hereby notified that there is now a ban on underaged students, those under the age of 18 into our tertiary institutions from this 2024 admissions,” Mamman said. The minister, said the Federal Government was considering the adoption of 18 years as the entry age for admission into universities and other tertiary institutions of learning.

House of Representatives yesterday approved N1.9 trillion budget for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Of the sum, N38,545,349,193 is earmarked for personal expenditure while N29,246,506,753 is for overhead. Internal capital expenditure will receive N8,785,574,130; while N835,222,569,924 will be spent on development projects. The remaining N1trillion is for legacy projects funded by borrowing for the year ending April 30, 2025. The report of the Committee on NDDC, presented by Erhiatake Ibori–Suenu, was considered and approved.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi has said one Ms Fagbule who accused him of swindling her of the sum of $180,000 with a promise of marriage through Facebook was a victim of romance scam. The Ooni said this while denying knowing or ever being in any form of contact, interpersonal communication or relationship whatsoever with the Ms. Fagbule. The Ooni said contrary to the claim of the woman, he does not operate any Facebook accounts personally. The traditional ruler said he manages his palace as an institutional organisation with a functional media directorate, which has a section…

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed a suit seeking the disqualification of Asue Igbodalo as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the September 21 governorship election in Edo State. Justice James Omotosho declared that the suit, filed by the impeached Edo State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, lacked merit. Shaibu and others had in the suit asked the court to disqualify Ighodalo over an allegation that he forged his voter card. But in his judgment on Wednesday, Justice Omotosho declared that the suit was statute-barred. He noted that the suit, being a pre-election case, was filed…

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the appointment of six eminent persons to serve in the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC ahead of the next councils’ polls. The appointees are: Justice Bola Okikiolu Ighile, Retd as Chairman, Mr. Samson Ajibade, Mr Oluwo Durojaiye, Dr. Metilelu Olusola, Mr. Aileru Abeeb Dapo and Mr. Oladele Adekanye as members. The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, announced this on Wednesday. According to Omotoso, “Details of the swearing-in ceremony will be announced in due course.” Recall that LASIEC, had on June 7, 2024, commenced what it described as ‘a crucial…