Author: Opalim Lifted

The Nigerian government  has been chastised by organized labour for giving a N180 billion palliative package to states to soften the impact of the cessation of fuel subsidy. The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress maintained that the governors could not be trusted, stressing that the N5 billion largesse handed to each state government for disbursal to Nigerians would enrich politicians rather than the impoverished. The Federal Government announced on Thursday a N5 billion palliative for each state of the federation, as well as 180 trucks of rice, as part of steps to ease the pain of subsidy…

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has warned Federal Capital Territory Administration employees to carefully follow the rules of conduct guiding public service by reporting their assets or face consequences. Suleiman Usman, State Director, FCT CCB, stated that, unbeknownst to many government workers, conducting private business during official hours is a crime punishable by law. Usman delivered the warning during a one-day education drive in Abuja on Thursday. “We are here to educate FCT Administration civil servants on the importance of asset declaration and to ensure total compliance.” We also educated them on the code of conduct for public officers…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has implemented a foreign exchange pricing verification mechanism to provide importers access to foreign currency. “The apex bank’s Trade and Exchange Department announced on Thursday  that a price verification report from the portal is now required for all Form M requests beginning August 31, 2023, the statement reads”. “Following the successful conduct of the pilot run and various trainings held with all banks, the CBN hereby announces the Go-Live of the Price Verification System (PVS),” the announcement said. “All Form M applications must be accompanied by a valid price verification report generated by the…

Al-Hilal has signed Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou on a three-year contract from Spanish club Sevilla, the Saudi Pro League team announced on Thursday. “The Atlantic lion is our goalie,” Al-Hilal said on X, previously known as Twitter. The specifics of the agreement were not released, but according to Spanish media, Sevilla would get 21 million euros ($22.8 million). The agreement was supported by HRH Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, according to Al-Hilal. Bounou, 32, was Sevilla’s first-choice goalkeeper, assisting the Spanish team to two Europa League championships and Morocco to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar last year. Bounou, also known…

The National Economic Council (NEC), under the leadership of Vice President Kashim Shettima, has constituted an ad hoc Committee to engage with the leadership of labour unions in a bid to create a forum for dialogue towards resolving issues surrounding the removal of fuel subsidy across the States. Chronicle NG reports that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has had a series of back-and-forth engagements on fuel subsidy removal with the president and Senate in previous weeks. Labour embarked on a nationwide strike and also called it off in the course of pushing their demands. Olusola Abiola, Director of Information to…

The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a security alert to the Nigeria Railway Corporation on a plot by bandits to attack the Abuja-Kaduna train link at any possible time. In a memo signed by the Director of the DSS, FCT Command, R.N. Adepemu, the state police warned train passengers to be security conscious. Chronicle NG reports that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) announced the resumption of two extra train services on June 4, 2023, for Abuja-Kaduna after a terrorist attack on the train that occurred on March 28, 2022. The letter was entitled, ‘Security Alert: Impending Threat By…

Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun on Wednesday ordered that five individuals charged with carrying Indian hemp and two bags of phoney foreign currencies be held in Lagos police custody until legal counsel from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions is available. Francis Omwukei, 26, Kingsley Ude, 33; Umar Idris, 37; Eyo, 27; and Bright Ahamefula, 26, were hauled before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court on a two-count charge of possession of Indian hemp and phoney foreign currencies in pounds sterling and US dollars. The defendants were arrested on August 9, 2023, in White Sand, Ijora, Lagos State, according to the prosecutor, Rita Momoh. According…

The Department of State Services (DSS) has allowed the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to have access to his second medical doctor, an ENT surgeon. Chronicle NG reports that Nnamdi Kanu, Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), filed a suit against the Department of State Services (DSS) seeking an order to allow him unhindered access to his medical doctor. He was examined by an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon in Abuja on Wednesday. A statement by Kanu’s lead Counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said the DSS allowed the IPOB leader access to a…

The British Museum in London has sacked a member of staff, and police are investigating after artefacts were reported “missing, stolen, or damaged.” Items missing from the museum, one of the major tourist attractions in the UK, include gold, jewellery, and semi-precious stone jewels. According to the museum, the bulk of the artefacts were housed in storage. The British Museum’s director, Hartwig Fischer, stated that the institution will “throw our efforts into the recovery of objects.” “This is a highly unusual incident,” he noted. I believe I speak for all of my colleagues when I say that we take the…

Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday struck out the two-count charges bordering on possession of a firearm against suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, for lack of diligent prosecution. The judge ruled in Emefiele’s favour as the legal battles of the former Zenith Bank MD begin to unfold. Chronicle NG reports that on August 15, the Nigerian government dropped firearm charges against Emefiele. In an oral application, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Abubakar, told Justice Oweibo that the application followed the result of further investigations. However,…