Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has sealed the Idumota open drug market in Lagos State. This, NAFDAC said was part of its ongoing efforts to eliminate fake and substandard medicines in the country. NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Shaba Mohammed, told journalists during an enforcement exercise on Tuesday, that the market was sealed on Sunday. Mohammed said the action also affected the Ariaria drug market in Aba and the Onitsha drug market in Anambra. He explained that the week-long enforcement exercise was happening simultaneously in the three markets, which distribute over 80 per cent…

The Federal Government of Nigeria has pledged to take diplomatic action and engage with relevant authorities to address the suspension of the drop box service for Nigerians renewing their US visas. The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Oluwole Oke, revealed this when he featured on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday. “I am in the US. I will take this matter up. After finishing my meeting in New York, I will also be in Washington. We have a chargé d’affaires there, and I will discuss this issue with him to find a way to…

The House of Representatives on Tuesday asked the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commissions to suspend the impending hike in telecommunications tariffs until the services offered by the telecom companies improved. This followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Oboji Oforji (PDP, Bayelsa), on the need to halt the recent increase in tariffs by the telecom companies. Leading the debate on the motion, Oforji recalled the announcement by the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani that telecommunication tariffs will soon increase. He said, “According to the Minister, consultations are ongoing…

The Peoples Democratic Party has lost another member in the House of Representatives to the All Progressives Congress. The member, Amos Magaji, who represents Jaba/Zango Kataf Federal Constituency,  Kaduna State, premised his defection on the crisis rocking the major opposition party in the country. Speaker Tajudeen Abbas who presided over the plenary session on Tuesday read Magaji’s letter of defection on the floor of the house. “The unresolved crises in the PDP from the national to the state level has made it difficult for me to remain in the party,” Magaji said. Magaji is the third member of the PDP…

Warren Gatland is set to leave his role as Wales’s head coach midway through the Six Nations after a record 14 consecutive international defeats, it was widely reported on Tuesday. Wales, who finished bottom of the Six Nations last year with five defeats, are on course for another embarrassing whitewash after a 22-15 loss in Italy at the weekend. They face champions Ireland on February 22 in Cardiff before a trip to Scotland and a home fixture against England. The Daily Mail said official confirmation of Gatland’s departure was likely to come from the Welsh Rugby Union later on Tuesday.…

Transparency International, a global coalition against corruption, has ranked Nigeria as the 36th most corrupt country in the world. Nigeria was joined by Uganda, Mexico, Madagascar, Iraq, and Cameroon in the same spot with a total score of 26 points. The ranking released on Tuesday highlighted the 2024 corruption perceptions index. The list ranks Denmark as the least corrupt country with 90 points, Finland as second with 88 points, and Singapore as third with 84 points. No African country made the top 10 very clean list as it was dominated by European countries. However, Cape Verde tops the list of…

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has jacked up the application fee for establishing private universities in Nigeria by over 400%. The commission’s Executive Secretary, Abdullahi Ribadu, in a statement on Monday, said the price hike is for better coordination and to ensure that newly established private universities are positioned to meet the challenges of the 21 Century. The NUC increased the fee for purchase of application forms for the Establishment of a Private University from N1m to N5m. The Commission also raised the processing fee for application for the establishment of a private university from N5m to N25m. The NUC…

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has warned police officers in the country against rights violations, and other misconduct.  “No operative should be seen carrying assault arms (rifles) while dressed in civilian attire (mufti),” the IGP said in a virtual meeting with police managers on Monday, according to a statement by Force Spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi. The IGP said he has received various complaints regarding rights violations through the Force’s complaint channels. He warned that any conduct violating human rights won’t be tolerated and would be met with severe consequences. “The IGP also warned all tactical squads against the…

The World Health Organisation launched on Tuesday a new platform providing cost-free cancer medicines for thousands of children living in low- and middle-income countries, in a bid to improve lagging survival rates. The first medicines were being delivered to Mongolia and Uzbekistan, the WHO said, with further shipments planned for Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal and Zambia, as part of the project’s pilot phase. The treatments are expected to reach around 5,000 children with cancer this year across at least 30 hospitals in those six nations. “Countries in the pilot phase will receive an uninterrupted supply of quality-assured childhood cancer medicines at…

A group of investors led by Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has offered $97.4bn to acquire OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, aiming to restore its original non-profit mission. The offer seeks to purchase all of OpenAI’s assets and refocus the organisation on its founding principles, the Wall Street Journal first reported on Monday. Recall that Musk co-founded OpenAI with Sam Altman in 2015 as a non-profit but left in 2019. Tensions between the two have since escalated into a legal dispute over the company’s transition into a for-profit entity under Altman’s leadership. Altman, who serves as the CEO, rejected…