Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Senate confirmed 21 federal commissioners for the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, (RMAFC). The approval came after Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP, Kebbi North), Chairman of the Joint Committee on National Planning, Economic Affairs, and Finance, presented a report confirming that all nominees were qualified for public office. President Bola Tinubu appointed the nominees in August and thereafter sought Senate approval. The former majority leader stated that with these nominations, every state in the country now has a representative on the RMAFC board. The confirmed commissioners are Linda Nkechi Oti, Abia; Akpan Effiong, Akwa Ibom; Enefe Ekene, Anambra; Steve…

An Israeli airstrike on Wednesday destroyed the municipal headquarters in Nabatieh, a major town in south Lebanon, killing the mayor and at least five others as they met to coordinate aid for those suffering from war. The attack fuelled concerns that Israel’s expanding air campaign, aimed at crushing Iran-backed Hezbollah, might increasingly target public officials and facilities that had hitherto been spared. Lebanon’s Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the attack on the provincial capital, claiming that it “intentionally targeted a meeting of the municipal council to discuss the city’s service and relief situation.” It was Israel’s most substantial attack…

The leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress are currently meeting with members from the Federal Government in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to discuss the recent increase in the price of petrol.  Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the Labour Minister; and Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, attended the meeting. Other attendees were Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information; Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum; Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources; and representatives from the…

No fewer than ninety-two people are still unaccounted for in North Carolina, weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the western part of the state, Governor Roy Cooper said on Tuesday. Speaking in a news conference on Tuesday, Cooper warned that the number could change as more reports of missing people are resolved. “I want to caution that this is not a definitive count because the task force is continuing its work,” he said. Ninety-five people were reported to have died in North Carolina as a result of the storm, while more than 220 have been killed in total, including in Florida,…

Kenya’s parliament has begun the final step towards removing Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from office.  Last Monday, an overwhelming majority of the National Assembly decided to accept his impeachment, paving the way for the Senate’s two-day trial to decide whether or not to remove him. The deputy president is facing 11 counts, including corruption, stirring ethnic divides, and undermining the administration, all of which he denies. The row follows his recent disagreement with President William Ruto, who has kept silent on the subject. Gachagua’s trial is being held in front of the entire Senate after the Senate abandoned plans to…

At least 90 people have been confirmed dead following a petrol tanker explosion in Majiya Town, Taura Local Government Area of the state, on Tuesday. Shi’isu Adam, the spokesperson of the Jigawa State Police Command, confirmed this in an interview with the newsmen on Wednesday. He also mentioned that 50 other persons had been hospitalised for varying degrees of injury due to the explosion. “At about 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Majia Town, Taura local government area of Jigawa, the tanker driver lost control near Khadija University, and it exploded. “The driver left Kano and was heading to Nguru in…

Thomas Tuchel has been named as England’s new manager on Wednesday, with the German set to start on January 1, 2025. This was announced in a statement by the English Football Association on Wednesday. “The FA has announced that UEFA Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel is the new England senior men’s head coach and will be assisted by internationally renowned English coach Anthony Barry,” the English Football Association said. Chronicle NG reports that the German coach agreed a deal to become the next permanent England men’s senior team manager. England have been without a permanent manager following Gareth Southgate’s exit…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has foiled a syndicate’s effort to import illicit drugs worth N1.183 billion into the country in four 40-foot containers via Apapa Port in Lagos.  According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Usman Abubakar, a Chief Superintendent of Customs, three of the containers were seized at the AP Moller Terminal, while 236,783 bottles of cough syrup packed in 2,174 cartons were seized at the Kachicares Bonded Terminal. Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, Customs Area Controller of the Command, provided additional information about the seizures, describing them as the result of the service’s zero tolerance for smuggling. Olomu said:…

Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), has advised detractors not to dispute the church’s decisions about pastor retirement.  The cleric came under fire on social media after it was revealed last week that his two vice presidents, Bishops Thomas Aremu and David Abioye, would be retiring after three and four decades in the ministry, respectively. It was learnt that their retirement is in accordance with the church’s operational standards, also known as the mandate, which serves as its constitution. During his lecture at Bishop Aremu’s valedictory service at Winners Chapel in Orita Bashorun on…

The naira has been rated as one of the worst-performing currencies in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024.  This is according to the current edition of Africa’s Pulse, a new World Bank report. As of the end of August 2024, the naira had depreciated by about 43% year to date, making it one of the region’s worst currencies with the Ethiopian birr and South Sudanese pound. The naira’s depreciation is ascribed to a number of factors, including increased demand for US dollars in the parallel market, limited dollar inflows, and delays in foreign exchange disbursements by Nigeria’s Central Bank. According to the…