The Oyo State Government has assured the people of the state that it will not increase tax on business enterprises to boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Mr John Adeleke, the Executive Chairman of the Oyo State Internal Revenue Service, gave the assurance while addressing newsmen in Ibadan on Sunday. According to Adeleke, Gov. Seyi Makinde is a people friendly governor and would show empathy in his dealings on all issues. He said the government was working assiduously to capture other areas that had not been explored to generate more revenue. “A culture of efficient and leak-proof collection in all areas of revenue…
Author: NAN NAN
Mr Fidet Okhiria, Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), says the Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) generates an average of N100 million monthly. Okhiria disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. According to him, it is quite impressive. I can tell you as we speak we have over N100 million a month on the Kaduna-Abuja. “I don’t have the figure off head but all I know is that we are averaging over hundred million,” Okhiria said. The NRC boss expressed satisfaction with the increased turnout of passenger at the AKTS, adding that government was making efforts to address the passenger surge on the…
Ambassador of China to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, has said that the Chinese government would strengthen its support and collaboration to Nigeria, to achieve its development and economic growth. Zhou made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China. According to Zhou, China and Africa has always been a community with a shared future, which is why China will work unremittingly to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with African countries. He said that China would continue to pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, advance high-quality Belt…
The closure of Nigeria’s borders by Federal Government was undertaken to strengthen the nation’s security and protect its economic interests, the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), retired Col. Hameed Ali, has said. Speaking during a meeting with border stakeholders, comprising freight forwarders and security agencies on Thursday at Seme, Ali said that the closure was not intended to hurt anyone but to protect the nations interests. “Our interest is to make sure that our country is secure, the well-being of our people is ensured and our economy is secure. “The step we have taken is in the interest of…
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has destroyed a major Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) Logistics Base and Training Camp at Kusuma on the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno. NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja. Daramola said the operation was executed on Wednesday by the Air Task Force of Operation LAFIYA DOLE. ”The air strike was executed after credible intelligence reports had established that a section of the settlement was serving as a training camp for the terrorists. ”While, some buildings within the camp were being…
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Malam Mele Kyari, said fossil fuel would remain relevant in the global energy mix. He said that this was contrary to assumptions that crude oil demand would be very high even beyond 2040. Kyari made the declaration, in a statement in Abuja by Mr Samson Makoji, Acting Spokesman for the Corporationon He revealed this when he received members of a Higher Command Course of the Indian Army War College on a geo-strategic tour of Nigeria. Kyari espoused the uniqueness of Nigeria’s crude oil grades as rich crude with high global…
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle on Wednesday met Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, a prominent anti-apartheid activist, with their 4-month-old son Archie also making his first public appearance in South Africa. The couple were spending their last day together in the South African city of Cape Town before the prince sets off later Wednesday to Botswana as part of their 10-day tour of southern Africa, while Meghan will remain with Archie in South Africa. Meghan held Archie in her arms as she and Harry were greeted by Tutu and his daughter Thandeka. Tutu and his wife Leah had called the meeting with the Duke and…
President Muhammadu Buhari says reducing extreme poverty and hunger is one of the cardinal objectives of his administration. The president stated this in a keynote address at the Nigeria high level side event on ‘SDG Integration – Bridging the Policy Planning – Budgeting Gap for the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.’ In a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Tuesday, Buhari reiterated Nigeria’s developmental priorities. The side event was held on the margins of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA74) on Tuesday in New York. The president…
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards bent the knee to HBO’s fantasy epic “Game of Thrones,” which closed out Sunday night’s ceremony by nabbing the prize for best drama series. HBO also had the most wins of the night, with 9, to Amazon’s 7 and Netflix’s 4. D.B. Weiss and David Benioff’s series, based on George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels, ended its eighth and final season in May with a divisive finale and tepid reviews, but still managed to become the most-watched programme in the premium cable network’s history, with 19.3 million viewers. And Emmy voters…
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele said on Thursday that Nigeria imports about 1.2 billion dollars worth of fish annually. He noted that currently, Nigeria produces 0.8 million tons of fish while the demand stood at 2.7 million tons, leaving a deficit of 1.9 million tons. Emefiele made the disclosure in Abuja while briefing some state Governors and journalists on the achievements made so far in agriculture for economic growth. According to him, the apex bank’s current initiative was to enagage the coastal state governors to develop the blue economy to address the deficit of 1.9metric…
The evacuation of the second batch of Nigerians from South Africa owing to ongoing xenophobic attacks, suffered an interruption on Tuesday following the delay in granting landing permit to Air Peace. The airline has volunteered to evacuate Nigerians willing to return to the country following the recent violence against foreigners in the southern African country. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the airline in collaboration with the Federal Government had on Sept. 11 evacuated the first batch of 187 Nigerians from South Africa. There was a plan for the airline to evacuate another batch of 320 Nigerians who…
The ECOWAS Parliament on Monday appealed to the Nigerian government to reopen its closed borders as it hampers the implementation of free trade movement within the ECOWAS region. Speaker of the Parliament, Moustapha Cisse Lo, made the call in a statement at the opening of the 2nd Extra Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Monrovia, Liberia. He added that the border closure posed a threat to the implementation of the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons at a time when Africa need to intensify efforts for effective abolition of barriers within the Community. Cisse Lo urged the government…
Khafi Kareem, one of the housemates in the ongoing BBNaija (S4) reality show has maintained that she did not have sex with love interest, Gedoni Ekpata. She reiterated that she is still celibate and would not have sex on the show. News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Khafi, an officer with the UK Metropolitan Police, disclosed this to other housemates while they shared stories of things unknown to other people about them. The former Head of House said she has been celibate for years as a part of healing for some issues she had in her life at a…
The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Air Peace Airline will begin the evacuation of stranded Nigerians in South Africa as from Sept. 6 following the recent attacks on them in that country. Mr. Ferdinand Nwonye, the Spokesperson for the ministry, made this known on Wednesday in Abuja. Nwonye said that Mr. Allen Onyema, Proprietor of Air Peace Airline had volunteered to send an aircraft as from Sept. 6 to evacuate Nigerians who wish to return free of charge. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform the general public that following the recent unfortunate xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals,…
Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has declared Monday, Sept. 2, 2019 as public holiday to mark the beginning of Islamic New Year 1441. A statement issued by Abubakar Shekara, a Permanent Secretary with the state government on Sunday, said “the holiday is to allow Muslim faithful to celebrate the commencement of the new year.” Tambuwal enjoined the people of the state to use the opportunity to pray for peace and the security of the state as well as Nigeria at large. News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, had declared Saturday Sept. 1,…
Ferdinand Piech, the former Volkswagen chair and legendary one-time patriarch of the billionaire clan behind the carmaker’s success, has died aged 82, dpa reports. Piech collapsed while at a restaurant with his wife Ursula Piech in the German state of Bavaria, she said in statement emailed to dpa by the family lawyer, Christian Schertz. The Bild newspaper initially reported his death. Piech was taken to hospital, where he later died. Piech was chief executive of Volkswagen from 1993 until 2002, and while feared for his authoritarian leadership style, he was widely credited with positioning the company to become Europe’s largest…
The Nigeria women national basketball team, D’Tigress on Sunday defeated hosts Senegal in the final of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket to win their fourth continental title. The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that victory for D’tigress meant that they also successfully defended the title they won two years ago after defeating Senegal 65-48 in Bamako in 2017. In a keenly-contested final match played on Sunday at the magnificent Dakar Arena which had as much as 15, 000 fans watching, the Nigeria women beat host Senegal 60-55 to win back-to-back continental titles. As in previous Senegal games over the past…
The Nigerian Customs Service has intercepted containers of tramadol worth N5 billion in Lagos. The Spokesman for the service, Joseph Attah, confirmed this to journalists at the Customs Training College on Friday. This comes barely three weeks after officials of the service destroyed over 50 containers of tramadol and other drugs worth about N7billion. Attah said the Comptroller-General of Customs Strike Force in Zone ‘A’ intercepted the haul. He said the smugglers believed that the festive period was a time of merriment and less vigilance, “but our officers intercepted the illicit drugs as the smugglers attempted to move it from…
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is set to arraign a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Maurice Iwu. EFCC’s acting spokesperson, Mr. Tony Orilade, confirmed the planned arraignment in a statement in Abuja on Thursday. He, however, did not disclose when the former INEC chairman would appear in court. Iwu would be arraigned at a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on a four-count charge bordering on money laundering. The former chairman is alleged to have between December 2014 and March 2015, aided the concealment of the sum of N1.2billion. The said sum was in…
An Abuja Federal High Court will, on Thursday, rule in the application filed by the Department of State Service (DSS), seeking an order to detain Mr. Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC)’s presidential candidate in the 2019 elections, for 90 days pending the conclusion of its investigation. In an exparte order with number: FHC/ABJ/CS/915/19, Counsel to the DSS, G. O. Agbadua, told Justice Taiwo Taiwo that a video clip evidence was also attached to the application. He urged the judge to grant the application seeking to detain the publisher of Sahara Reports beyond 48 hours as required by the…
Washington has frozen the assets of the Venezuelan government due to the “continued usurpation of power” by President Nicolas Maduro, according to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. The sanctions, which came into effect on Monday, represent a significant escalation of U.S. attempts to force Maduro, who won a second term in a disputed election last year, from office. The U.S. has already used sanctions to target Venezuelan government officials, the central bank and its state-run oil and gas sector, from which the country derives the vast majority of its export earnings. The Venezuelan economy has collapsed under…
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria can benefit from the UK in its ongoing reform of the business environment by learning from how the British resolved similar challenges. Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Thursday, said the Vice President stated this when he met with the UK’s Secretary of State for International Development, Mr. Alok Sharma, in Abuja. According to Osinbajo, one of the critical issues with the ease of doing business is with respect to the registration of property and how the process is long drawn. He said that while states like Lagos and Kano had done well…
Two new housemates Venita Akpofure and Elozonam Ogbolu were introduced on Tuesday, stirring up excitement among fans of the show. News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that at exactly 7pm, the Big Brother Naija doors were open to the newest members of the ‘pepper dem’ gang following a prior announcement by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu. The new female housemate, Venita is an actress, model and video vixen who rose to fame by paying ‘Mimi’ in the widely acclaimed ‘AYs crib’ produced by comedian, Ayo Makun. She played AY’s quirky but uptight love interest in the sit-com and has also appeared in several…
There was mild drama at the premises of an Ikeja High Court as officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, a dismissed judge of the Federal High Court after corruption charges against her was struck out. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that about 10 officials of the EFCC surrounded Ofili-Ajumogobia as she attempted to leave the courtroom at 10.24 a.m. after the ruling by Justice Hakeem Oshodi. Upon sighting the officials, the judge made a hasty retreat and went back upstairs into Justice Oshodi’s courtroom to seek the protection of the court…
