Author: Opalim Lifted

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Federal Ministry of Power signed a memorandum of understanding to unlock N115 billion in investment in Nigeria to tackle electricity challenges. The Power Ministry announced on Wednesday that Melissa Jones, the Director of USAID’s Nigeria Mission, and Mahmuda Mamman, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, had signed the MOU. Accordingly, the investment is part of a US government grant-funded technical assistance programme intended to support power sector development and reforms in Nigeria. “Today’s goal is to strengthen collaboration between USAID and the Federal Government of Nigeria and…

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Thursday he will run for a second presidential term in the election expected on September 7, 2024. Tebboune, 78, is widely expected to win a second and final term of five years after he secured the support of the main political parties as well as organizations from civil society. Tebboune who was elected in December 2019 for a five-year term, said that “at the request of many parties, organizations, and youth, I announce my candidacy for a second term, as the constitution allows”. I have today, decided to dismiss with immediate effect all the…

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is expected to cruise to a fourth term in office in an election on Monday against two opposition candidates who were cleared to run against him but have only modest expectations. Kagame, 66, helped lead the rebel movement that ended the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and has served as president since 2000. He faces only two rivals because six other potential candidates were not cleared to run by the state-run electoral commission. Kagame won nearly 99% of the vote in the last election in 2017, which followed a constitutional change removing term limits that would have…

Samsung has become the first tech giant to release a smart ring – which can track sleep, movement, periods and heart rate. The South Korean company released the Galaxy Ring on Tuesday as part of its latest wearable technology – also announced was the new Galaxy Watch Ultra. It said the £400 ring, which is scheduled to launch later this month, will come with a battery life of up to seven days and is designed to be worn 24 hours a day to help users monitor their health stats during the day, but also while they sleep. Coming in three…

Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday fired his entire cabinet apart from the foreign minister, bowing to pressure from nationwide protests that have created the biggest crisis of his two-year presidency. The youth-led protests against planned tax hikes started off peacefully but turned violent, killing at least 39 people in clashes with the police last month. Some demonstrators briefly stormed parliament, before Ruto abandoned the new taxes. “I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations and other Kenyans, both in public and private, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government,” Ruto said in…

Officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service’s (NCS) Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja have apprehended a woman identified as Precious Yusuf for attempting to smuggle drugs to an inmate. The suspect, Precious Yusuf disguised herself as a visitor to one of the inmates, but the correctional service officials apprehended her during a search, the FCT command spokesperson, Adamu Duza, said. Duza said the suspect concealed the drugs in food packs. Precious Yusuf admitted that they had sent her to deliver the drugs to an inmate. “This occurred on Tuesday when the above-named lady disguised herself as a visitor…

The Supreme Court on Thursday barred governors from dissolving democratically elected local government councils. The court ruled in a landmark judgement on Thursday, doing so amounts to a breach of the 1999 Constitution. The apex court said the defendants (governors) just wasted their time in the suit. Chronicle NG had reported that the apex court granted financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country. In its lead judgement read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court scolded governors for their decades-long refusal of autonomy for local governments.

Saleh Mamman, the former Minister of Power under former President Muhammadu Buhari, collapsed outside the Federal High Court’s Abuja courtroom on Thursday, delaying his arraignment. Mamman, whose plea was fixed for Thursday morning, collapsed before the case was called. The former power minister’s counsel, Femi Ate, SAN, told Justice James Omotosho shortly after the matter was called for Mamman to take his plea. Upon resumed hearing, the ex-minister walked into the courtroom and stepped into the dock with part of his clothes drenched. Justice Omotosho then asked why Mamman was sweating or whether it was raining outside. The former power…

The Supreme Court has granted financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country. In a landmark judgement on Thursday, the apex court ordered the Federal Government to immediately start the direct payment of local government funds to the latter’s exclusive accounts. In its lead judgement read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court scolded the decades-long refusal of the state government on financial autonomy for LGA. Justice Agim noted that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves. He dismissed the preliminary objections of the defendants (state governors). The apex court directed…

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for Local Government (LG) administrations. In its lead judgement read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court observed that the state governments’ refusal of financial autonomy for local governments has gone on for over two decades. Justice Agim said local governments have since stopped receiving the money meant for them from the state governors who act in their stead. He noted that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves. He dismissed the preliminary objections of the…