Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) University of Ilorin branch yesterday chided the federal government over unjustifiable delay in payment of the outstanding balance of the three and a half months of withheld salaries of the members of the nation’s universities. The union also criticised the federal government over appointments of aged Nigerians as members of tertiary institutions governing councils, saying that it’s unacceptable that Octogenarians would drive the development agenda of 24th century. “Go and see the compositions of the people appointed across the governing council of our tertiary institutions; you are looking at people that are old. As…

Former home secretary Suella Braverman has told the BBC she still has the 24-hour personal protection she was given while in government because of the threats and harassment she receives. On a recent trip to a supermarket, she said people called her “a genocidal bleep” in front of her children. The government announced a £31m budget for security for politicians in February. The extra money follows the murder of MPs Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021. For the first time, all election candidates now have access to panic alarms and a named police contact to liaise…

Elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark has, again, pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to help halt what he described as the threatening political crisis in Rivers State. Clark, in an open letter to the president, advised that the “small fire” in Rivers State should be quenched immediately and not allowed to conflagrate further. The southern leader, nonetheless, congratulated the president for dousing tension in the state when he said he wouldn’t take sides in the unfolding crisis between the governor Siminalayi Fubara and the minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike. The Niger Delta leader urged the president to call…

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reiterated his administration’s resolve to complete the 70 million-gallon-per-day Adiyan Water Project which was abandoned for years. Sanwo-Olu made the promise at the fifth Lagos International Water Conference. He noted that the project would have to be completed in the next one year. The conference had as theme ‘Financing Water and Sanitation for a Greater Lagos’. Sanwo-Olu highlighted the importance of financial resources in achieving the goals of water security, accessibility and sustainability. He said: “For us, it is not just about lip service. We want to move away from rhetorics, we want action. Let…

The federal government has announced a ban on single-use plastics across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this to journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Salako emphasised that this ban aligns with the government’s broader plastic waste management strategy. He said: “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to addressing the triple threat of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution”. The minister highlighted the severity of plastic pollution in Nigeria,…

The House of Representatives Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (SCR) on Tuesday moved to enact laws to sanction offenders. This is also as the committee gave MTN, Airtel last warning to honour its invitation or face the warrant of arrest by the Commitee. The Chairman of the Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility, Hon Oby Orogbu, stated these during a public hearing on “A bill to regulate corporate social Responsibility in Nigeria and for other related matters” held in Abuja. According to Orogbu, some companies operating in the country have over time violated the law, hence the need for punishment to…

Some irate protesters, yesterday, attacked the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State, Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi, at the party’s Secretariat on Acme Road, in Ogba, during a peace parley to reconcile two warring factions in the Alimosho Local Government Area of the state. A viral video of the attack showed where Ojelabi was tossed around by the placard-carrying protesters before security operatives were deployed to rescue him from the grip. The aggrieved APC members accused the chairman of bias in the lingering crisis between two factional leaders in the Alimosho area, who are former Reps member, Mr…

The Management of Nigerian Education Loan Fund on Tuesday announced a 14-day postponement of the application process for student loan for state institutions due” to low data submissions,” a statement by the agency said in Abuja. The Fund said the decision was necessitated by the failure of several state-owned institutions to upload the required student data and fee information to the NELFUND Student Verification System. “To date, only a limited number of state-owned institutions have successfully completed the data submission process. These include 20 state universities out of 48, 12 state colleges out of 54, and 2 state polytechnics out…

Barcelona legend and Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi has finally revealed the secret to his incredible talent. The 37-year-old is an 8-time Ballon d’Or winner, Copa America champion, and World Cup winner with Argentina. Widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, Messi has won league titles with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. In a recent interview with Argentine podcaster Juan Pablo Varsky, Messi shared the source of his talent: “It’s very clear to me that I was born like this because God chose me. It was a gift he gave me. I tried to take advantage of it, I…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, yesterday activated a national cholera emergency centre, following the outbreak of the disease in the country. It also said 53 deaths and 1,528 suspected cholera cases were recorded across 31 states and 107 local government areas, with a case fatality rate of 3.5 per cent since the beginning of 2024. This is even as Lagos State government yesterday disclosed that the cholera death toll had risen to 29 from the previously reported 24 last week, adding that the total number of suspected cases had risen to 579. Director-General of NCDC, Dr…