Author: David Great

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike says the FCT Administration has pegged the cost of issuing a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) at N5 million. Mr Wike made the pronouncement at a meeting with estate developers in Abuja on Tuesday. He said the payment could be made within four months of land allocation, after which the C of O would be handed over to the applicant. The minister added that he would seek the approval of President Bola Tinubu to link applicants’ National Identification Numbers to C of Os before issuance. Mr Wike said the era where three or more people…

At least 12 people died and 58 others were injured on Tuesday when a bus overturned on a highway in Mexico’s southeastern state of Veracruz, local government officials said. The accident occurred early Tuesday on the highway linking the towns of La Tinaja and Acayucan, authorities said on social media. A source in Mexico’s National Guard told AFP the crash was apparently due to driver error. 6.7m earthquake kills six in Philippines The Veracruz government said a massive emergency services response was initiated due to the magnitude of the accident. Dozens of people were taken to hospitals in the area,…

LeBron James claimed another piece of NBA history on Tuesday, becoming the first player to break the 39,000-point barrier as the Los Angeles Lakers routed the Utah Jazz to reach the knockout stage of the league’s new in-season tournament. The 38-year-old, needing just five points to reach the milestone heading into the game, etched his name into the record books with a three-pointer in the first quarter of a 131-99 Lakers win. Lebron James, who passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last season to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, saluted the crowd as his achievement was announced. “I haven’t really had an…

Gunmen believed to be military personnel attacked the Adamawa State Police Headquarters, Jimeta, Yola North Local Government Area, in the early hours of Wednesday, sending residents of Yola into panic. According to Daily Trust Newspaper, the state police public relations officer, SP Suleiman Nguroje, confirmed the attack but said things were under control. The police spokesman said, “The attack was repelled, but the identities of those behind it were unknown.” The newspaper quoted a source as alleging that the attackers were military personnel on a revenge mission following the alleged killing of a military officer by the police. Although the…

OpenAI announced on Tuesday its co-founder Sam Altman will return as CEO, days after he was fired by the board. “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo,” it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. OpenAI’s board sacked Sam Altman last week, with Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella announcing soon after he was hiring Altman to run a new artificial intelligence research team. But in the fast-moving sequence of events, Altman said Tuesday he had the support of…

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State apologised on Tuesday for the outrageous amounts that appeared on the state’s procurement website, saying no administration was immune to mistakes and adding that his government was committed to public goods. Sanwo-Olu made the comment in response to the procurement record issued by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency at the opening of the Lagos State Building Control Agency Building, PWD Ikeja. While applauding the open letter by the Action Democratic Congress’s governorship candidate in Lagos, Funso Doherty, Sanwo-Olu promised him that the government will continue to publicise its spending and make it open…

Governor Chukwuma Soludo has presented a draft appropriation bill of N410 billion for Anambra State House of Assembly for the year 2024. Soludo presented the budget estimate to the State House of Assembly in Awka, the Anambra State capital on Tuesday. The governor stated that there is only about 57.8 percent increase in the present budget compared to the 2023 budget of over N280 billion. Police nab three gunrunners in Anambra, recover 23 pump-action rifles While the Recurrent expenditure accounts for N96.2 billion, the Capital expenditure is N313.9 billion, indicating that 77 percent of the entire budget is targeted at…

The Federal Government via the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has revoked 1,633 mining licenses previously given to non-complying mining companies. Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, announced this during a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja. Alake said the licenses of these mining companies were revoked due to their failure to pay mandatory annual service fees of N1,500 per cadastral unit. FG to establish coast guards for enhanced coastal security – Oyetola “The Mining Cadastre Office has recommended the revocation of 1,633 mineral titles as follows: Exploration Licence, 536; Quarry Licence, 279; Small Scale Mining Licence, 787 and…

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has announced the commitment of his administration to explore the potential of the shores of Lake Chad to boost agriculture in the state. A statement on Tuesday by Isa Gusau, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, said Mr Zulum made this known during his visit to Baga, where he assessed a portion of the lake for agriculture. The governor also spoke on enhancing trans-border trade between communities in Nigeria and their counterparts in the Chad and Niger Republics. Mr Zulum observed during the assessment that with agricultural activities picking up along…

The Lagos State Ministry of Environment’s Monitoring, Enforcement, and Compliance Department on Monday dismantled unlawful structures and expelled unauthorised vendors surrounding various schools in the state’s Badagry area. Tokunbo Wahab, the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, made the announcement in a statement posted on X on Tuesday. According to Wahab, he initiated an investigation after receiving a petition from the administration of Ajara Senior Secondary School in Badagry over indiscriminate and unauthorised commercial operations by street merchants in front of the school. He wrote, “The Monitoring, Enforcement, and Compliance Department of the Ministry #LasgMOE visited the location, investigated, and…