Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

The Enugu State Government says it has begun the construction of a new International Motor Spare Parts and Allied Trades Market at 9th Mile, near Enugu, on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway. The Managing Director, Enugu State Investment Development Authority, Dr Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo, disclosed this during a meeting with the leadership of the Enugu Motor Spare Parts and Allied Trades Association, Coal Camp, Enugu on Monday. Ogbu-Nwobodo said the market was in fulfilment of Gov. Peter Mbah’s electoral promise to build a world-class market for the association. He described the condition of the traders at Coal Camp as pathetic and prone to…

Another 200 Kenyan police officers have left for Haiti under a UN-backed mission to try to quell rampant gang violence in the troubled Caribbean nation, senior police officers said Tuesday. “We have 200 police officers who left last night, they should land in their destination of Haiti this morning,” one senior officer told AFP. “They are joining their colleagues who are already on the ground.” A first batch of about 400 Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti in June, with the East African nation leading a force expected to number a total of some 2,500 personnel. “More will be departing…

The Naira yesterday depreciated to N1,555 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,545 per dollar last week Friday. Similarly, the Naira depreciated to N1,577.29 per dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market, NAFEM. Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange rate for NAFEM rose to N1,577.29 per dollar from N1,563.8 per dollar last week Friday, indicating N13.49 depreciation for the naira. The volume of dollars (turnover) traded on the window increased by 21.3 percent to $153.53 million from $126.5 million traded on Friday. Consequently, the margin between the parallel market and NAFEM rates narrowed to N18.8 per…

France’s all-time leading goalscorer Olivier Giroud confirmed his international retirement on Monday, calling time on a career that saw him score 57 goals in 137 appearances. “The long-dreaded moment has arrived: the moment of saying goodbye to the French national team,” Giroud wrote on Instagram. “We’ve become an inseparable band of mates under the watchful eye of one man: the coach, Didier Deschamps, whom I thank for his trust. Despite our ups and downs, he has enabled me to become Les Bleus’ all-time top scorer.” “The France team I served for 13 years will always be engraved in my heart.…

The Labour Party, on Monday, warned the Nigeria Labour Congress to desist from dragging the party and its leadership in the mud to appease their alleged sponsors. This was even as the opposition party reiterated that former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and Julius Abure, remain their presidential flagbearer and national chairman, respectively. The warning was issued in Abuja by the Director General of the LP Directorate on Mobilisation and Integration, Marcel Ngogbehei. Ngogbehei was reacting to a statement credited to the NLC National Transition Committee, which allegedly referred to Abure as a former LP national chairman. The statement further…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has accredited about 134 local and international organisations interested in monitoring the off cycles of governorship elections in Ondo and Edo states later in the year. A statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of the commission, Sam Olumelun said the list is made up of 124 local and 10 international organizations. The statement reads: “In continuation of preparations for the 2024 Edo and Ondo state governorship elections, the Commission is pleased to provide an update on the accreditation of observers for the elections. “A total of 153 applications…

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has mandated the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning to come up with an amendment bill to the 2024 Budget to be presented to the National Assembly for legislation. The planned amendment to the national budget, it was explained, became necessary as a result of new fiscal developments, including the impending new national minimum wage. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to journalists after the 8th FEC meeting of 2024, presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja. According to the minister, President Tinubu is expected to…

Barring any last-minute change, President Bola Tinubu will be transmitting the New National Minimum Wage to the National Assembly next week. The transmission of the Executive Bill to the National Assembly will be after the President meets with the leadership of the Organized Labour on Thursday. Recall that President Tinubu had met with the leadership of organized labour on Thursday last week over the minimum wage issue. The Tripartite Committee of the new National Minimum Wage had submitted two separate figures to the President following the disagreement among the different stakeholders. While the government team and the organized private sector…

Justice Haleema Salman of the Kwara State High Court has reserved judgment in the April 5, 2018 bank robbery recorded in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of the state. Justice Salman reserved judgment in the six-year trial of six suspects in the bloody bank robbery till August 2, 2024. Thirty-three people, including nine policemen, were killed in the incident which involved five commercial banks while an undisclosed sum of money was stolen from the banks. The presiding judge on Monday adopted final written addresses which contained arguments of the two lead counsel in the matter, Rotimi Jacob (SAN) for the…

A Kano State High Court presided over by Justice Amina Aliyu has perpetually restrained Aminu Ado-Bayero and four other deposed Emirs of Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye from parading themselves as Emirs. Delivering the judgment on Monday, Justice Aliyu further restrained the 15th Emir of Kano and four other dethroned Emirs by themselves, servants, privies and any other persons appointed by them from parading themselves as Emirs of Kano, Bichi, Gaya, Rano, Karaye. Recall that the Kano State Government had filed a suit asking the state High Court to stop the 15th Emir, Bayero, and four other Emirs of Karaye,…