Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Federal Government has disclosed that more than 26,800 annual deaths in Nigeria have been attributed to tobacco-related diseases, even though 4.5 million Nigerians aged 15 and above are tobacco users. The Federal Competitive Consumer Protection Commission disclosed this in a statement on Monday. According to the statement, Adamu Abdullahi, acting Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, revealed this on Monday at the ceremonial lunch of its tobacco control advocacy titled ‘Don’t burn their future’. Recall that Adamu Abdullahi was appointed as the acting EVC of the FCCPC earlier this month after President Bola Tinubu removed the incumbent EVC, Babatunde…

Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, the governor of Plateau State, has announced a 24-hour curfew in the state’s Mangu Local Government Area, effective immediately. This followed the deterioration of the area’s security. Mutfwang made the decision following consultations with relevant security authorities. He stated that only those fulfilling vital responsibilities are permitted to move within the local government jurisdiction until further notice. He asked all individuals, particularly inhabitants of the Mangu Local Government Area, to follow the directive and aid security personnel in restoring peace and order in the area by providing trustworthy information. He bemoaned that certain people are still…

Arewa youths comprising the pro-democracy northern organization, the Joint-Action Northern Youth Associations, have rejected the relocation of key departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to Lagos by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration. The Arewa Defense League, the Association of Northern Nigeria Students, the Arewa Youth for Development and National Unity, the Arewa Young Women Rights Advocate Council, the Northern Youth in Defence of Democracy, and the Arewa Radio and Television Commentators, among others, all spoke out against the decision. According to the alliance, if Tinubu’s government fails to withdraw…

Premier League giant Chelsea has received more revenue from player sales than any other team during the last decade. The Blues have made headlines in the last 18 months for spending more than £1 billion since a Todd Boehly-led partnership purchased the club from Roman Abramovich in May 2022. They were similarly well-supported in the market by the Russian businessman, but were always adept at generating revenue through player sales. And, according to recent transfermarkt data, Chelsea has the biggest transfer income since 2014–15, with £1.13 billion earned from selling stars. This includes prominent big-money departures such as Eden Hazard’s…

The Egyptian public and the country’s most-capped player have criticized Mohamed Salah for withdrawing from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to travel back to Merseyside for knee treatment. Salah had planned to go back to England after the Pharaohs’ last group-stage play against Cape Verde on Monday night, but Egypt fans and analysts were outraged that the 31-year-old left them in the middle of the tournament to recover. Liverpool’s top scorer is anticipated to miss at least three weeks of activity, thereby ending his tournament. Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas, said on Monday: ”Mohamed’s injury is more serious than first…

The Israeli army has disclosed that 21 of its troops have been killed in Gaza, the bloodiest day for Israeli forces since the start of their offensive assault. Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said a rocket-propelled grenade hit a tank near two buildings where they were. He added that the structures detonated, most likely as a result of mines planted by Israeli soldiers to demolish them. The IDF says it is still investigating the details of the incident. Mr. Hagari claimed the incident occurred in central Gaza, near the kibbutz of Kissufim on the Israeli…

President Bola Tinubu has authorized the management of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund to provide interest-free loans to Nigerian students engaged in skill-development programmes. This came after NELFUND’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, briefed the audience on the program’s upcoming debut later this month. Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, stated this in a statement released on Monday titled ‘President Tinubu urges expansion of the student-loan program to include skill development.’ According to the statement, Tinubu based his decision on the need for the system to accommodate those who do not choose to pursue a…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has stated that duplicate national identification numbers are responsible for the new wave of complaints from subscribers who have had their SIMs barred despite linking them to their NINs. The NCC attributes this to third-party agents duplicating NINs for naïve telecom consumers. The NCC disclosed this during a recent media briefing in Lagos. Speaking on the issue, the NCC’s Director of Compliance, Mr. Efosa Idehen, said, “On the issue of already registered SIMs and NINs, the issue is that some of those SIMs were registered with duplicate NINs. “When an audit of the system is…

Ibrahim Huseini, Chairman of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Dekina Local Government Area in Kogi State, has been suspended indefinitely. Huseini was accused of embezzling N19 million from the party’s account and threatening members prior to his indefinite suspension. He was also accused of engaging in anti-party activities during the previous governorship election in November 2023. His suspension was announced in a letter dated January 21, 2024, after PDP officials in the Dekina LGA voted no confidence in him. The PDP Local Government Working Committee in Dekina accused the embattled chairman of violating established party rules and institutions. “We,…

Canada has announced plans to introduce a national cap to reduce the number of overseas students admitted to the country. During an appearance with CTV’s Question Period on Sunday, the country’s immigration minister, Marc Miller, stated that the Canadian government will need to have with provincial governments “to make sure that the provinces that have not been doing their jobs actually rein in those numbers on a pure volume basis.” “That volume is disconcerting,” Miller said, in reference to the number of international students in Canada. “It’s really a system that has gotten out of control.” Chronicle NG reports that…