Author: Festus Adeloye

The Senate, on Thursday, tackled one of its members, Senator Sumaila Kawu, over his claim of receiving N21m monthly in salary and allowances. The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, said Kawu’s claim was not true. The controversy around the alleged humongous pay of the National Assembly members came to the fore once again after President Olusegun Obasanjo at the weekend said the lawmakers fixed their own pay. While the National Assembly refuted the claim by Obasanjo, Kawu, a nothern senator, in an interview with British Broadcasting Corporation Hausa Service on Wednesday, revealed that he gets N21m monthly pay. However, he also…

The head of the World Health Organisation on Thursday called for increased production of cholera vaccines, highlighting what he called a “critical shortage” around the globe. The UN health agency said 307,433 cases of cholera and 2,326 deaths have been reported in 26 countries up to July 28. “The response continues to be affected by a critical shortage of the vaccine, as demand continues to outpace supply,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, formerly Twitter. Some 105 million doses have been requested by 18 countries since January 2023 — but only 55 million doses have been produced in…

The Lagos State Government says traffic will be diverted at Ikeja Along Bus Stop, between Ile Zik and Conoil Petrol Station on the Oshodi bound lane from Saturday, 17th to Sunday, 18th August 2024, between 12 midnight and 4 am daily. Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, in a statement on Thursday, said the diversion is to carry out the demolition of the old pedestrian bridge. “Consequently, from Ile Zik Bus Stop up to Conoil Petrol Filling Station on the Oshodi bound side of the road, only one lane will be available to Motorists to ensure safety,” he said.…

The Federal Government says the Offices of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) have already set in motion both legal and diplomatic steps to ensure the discharge of what it termed inappropriate orders against the three presidential aircraft undergoing routine maintenance in France. This was disclosed in a statement by Kamarudeen Ogundele, a spokesman for the AGF Lateef Fagbemi. Ogundele said that the the Federal Government became aware of the interim attachment of the aircraft on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. The said temporary attachment, according to the statement, was made pursuant to ex parte…

The family of the late gospel singer, Aduke Gold, has clarified the circumstances surrounding her passing, refuting rumours that she died during fibroid surgery. The deceased’s brother, Pastor Ajayi Aderogbo, stated that Aduke Gold succumbed to cervical cancer, as confirmed by the death certificate from University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan. In a viral video, Pastor Aderogbo urged the public to verify the information before spreading rumours, stressing that his sister’s death was due to her battle with cervical cancer. “Whoever is saying what is not should stop it, our daughter was ill, she had cervical cancer, she was taken…

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have pledged to strengthen their collaboration to protect Nigerian consumers from exploitation. FCCPC disclosed this on Thursday on its X (formerly Twitter) handle. During a courtesy visit to the EFCC headquarters, FCCPC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Mr. Tunji Bello, expressed concern over increasing cases of arbitrary price hikes, emphasising the need for a joint effort to address the issue. “We need to work together to address the issue of arbitrary price hikes, which is becoming a major challenge for Nigerian consumers,” Bello said. EFCC’s Executive Chairman, Mr…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said the nation had recorded a total of 39 confirmed cases of mpox and zero deaths across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and the Federal Capital Territory, from the beginning of 2024. The Director General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, who disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja, also said the country had so far recorded a total of 5,951 suspected cases and 176 deaths have been recorded across 36 States, and the FCT as of August 11, 2024. The Africa Centre for Disease Control on…

US regulators imposed fines totalling almost $393 million on more than two dozen financial firms after a probe found they had failed to retain electronic communications as required by federal law. The US Securities and Exchange Commission announced the settlements on Wednesday, accusing the 26 financial institutions of “widespread and longstanding failures” to follow communications protocols. The fines of $392.75 million add to the billions of banks that have already been sanctioned over improper use of personal phones and messaging services such as WhatsApp. “Each of the SEC’s investigations uncovered pervasive and longstanding use of unapproved communication methods, known as…

The senator representing Kano South Sumaila Kawu has accused ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of introducing corruption to the National Assembly. Obasanjo last week accused the lawmakers of fixing their salaries and allowances amid the biting economic hardship in Nigeria. But Kawu, who has been in the news recently over his comment about what the federal lawmakers receive, faulted Obasanjo’s remark. “When you are talking about corruption, it is Obasanjo who introduced corruption into the National Assembly,” Senator Kawu said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sport doubled down on his claims.…

The recent decrease in the stock prices of the Dangote Group, which includes Dangote Sugar Refinery and NASCON Allied Industries, has been attributed to foreign exchange losses and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision to reject their merger request. Analysts suggested that the ongoing inflationary pressures and forex volatility have worsened these challenges. The depreciation of the naira has increased the cost of importing raw materials, further squeezing profit margins. From May to August 2024, Dangote Sugar Refinery’s stock plummeted by 18.67 per cent from N45.00 to N36.60, on the back of disruptions in the supply chain and volatile sugar…