Gist Coven

The Federal Government says work will commence next week on cattle colonies in states that has indicated interest to establish them. PREMIUM TIMES reported the mixed reactions that have trailed the proposal for cattle colonies. Some states like Benue and Taraba, which have experienced clashes between farmers and herdsmen, have rejected the proposal, while others like Kogi supported it. Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed the imminent commencement on Friday during a visit to the Agriculture and Veterinary Complex of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Mr. Ogbeh said the National Economic Council on Thursday set up a 10-member committee comprising the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, as chairman and nine governors to facilitate the commencement of the cattle colonies in interested states. “We are happy that we are making progress in agriculture now. “One of the most topical issues we have today is that of farmers and herdsmen clashes. “If...

The Nigerian Air Force on Sunday in Kaduna took delivery of five new Super Mushshak aircraft purchased by the Federal Government from Pakistan to fight the Boko Haram insurgency. With the new five aircraft, which were delivered to the NAF Base in Kaduna, 10 trainer aircraft have now been supplied by Pakistan to Nigeria to aid the counter-terrorism operations. Punch correspondent learnt that an Ilyushin 76 Strategic Airlifter brought the five aircraft while they were already being assembled by a team of Pakistani and Nigerian technicians for test flying and a formal induction. The air force had on July 14, 2017, taken delivery of the first batch of Super Mushshak Aircraft which were inducted and deployed for primary training of the war pilots. The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, said the new aircraft would help to prosecute the counter-insurgency operations in the North-East as well as other forms of criminalities in the...

The federal government will soon release new sugar import quota for Dangote, BUA and other sugar refineries involved in Backward Integration Programme in the sugar sector of the economy. This was disclosed on Saturday in Abuja by the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Dr. Latif Busari, while reviewing the activities of the council in 2017 and making projections for 2018. Dr. Busari revealed that the Council has reversed downward the 2018 sugar projection for the country to 1.58 million metric tons from the 1.6 million metric tons initially projected in the Sugar Master Plan. He also revealed that the council with relevant monitoring groups have concluded the review of the Backward Integration Programme implementation by participants and a new sugar import quota for participants will be released in January based on the approval of the President. The NSDC boss lamented that the sugar industry in the country is “bleeding” as a result of secu...

N-Power, Federal Government empowerment scheme, has warned applicants against paying bribe. The scheme announced that any candidate caught making payment will be disqualified immediately. This was disclosed in a statement in its official twitter page, re-emphasising that physical verification stage was free. The statement reads: “ATTENTION!! The Physical Verification stage is free. “Do NOT pay anyone for anything. “If you pay, you will be automatically disqualified. “Some of those asking you to pay are testing you. Be careful!#NPowerNG “All Pre-selected 2017 applicants who see anyone paying should report the person and the Center immediately.”

Human right lawyer, Femi Falana, has made good his threat to file a lawsuit against the Federal government after he broke his leg in a manhole he fell into while on his way to work in Abuja a few weeks ago. On November 14th, Falana disclosed that he will be taking the Federal government to court after he fell into a manhole along the Shehu Shagari way in Abuja while heading to his office “I am sure you saw me limping and using a walking stick when I was coming in. It is because I fell into a manhole while walking to my office on Shehu Shagari Way. I broke my leg and I am even wearing Plaster of Paris and I was even hospitalized. So, I won’t like the ordinary Nigerian leave it to God. I have decided that tomorrow I will sue the Federal Government.” he told the participants at the National Stakeholders Summit on Whistleblowing in Abuja. Falana has now filed a N100 million lawsuit against the Federal Capital Development Authority. The lawyer who has been appearing in public with ...

The Mouthpiece of Bring Back Our Girls Group, Aisha Yesufu, has criticized the federal government of Nigeria for announcing public holiday to celebrate this year’s Eid-El-Maulud. The BBOG convener described the holiday as wasteful and an act of competitive religiousity Aisha urged the Buhari administration to focus on helping Nigerians than otherwise. In her tweets, she wrote “Nigeria and our need for wasteful holidays. Which one is public holiday for Maulud? When did we start celebrating Maulud? “When do we stop all this “competitive religiosity” and focus on doing good for humanity? “The first Maulud to be a public holiday in Nigeria was declared for Monday, 9 March 2009 by Godwin Abbe, then minister of interior under Yar’Adua’s administration.”

President Muhammadu Buhari,has directed  the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma; and the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to work with state governors to ensure the payment of outstanding Paris Club refund before the end of the year. The President was said to have urged the governors to utilise the money to clear salary arrears they owed their workers before Christmas. The governors had earlier received 50 per cent of the refund, leaving a balance of 50 per cent which Buhari directed its payment on Monday. The President was said to have given the directive at a meeting he had with state governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. According to information posted on one of the Presidency’s Twitter handles – @NGRPresident – the meeting featured discussions on the nation’s economy, workers’ welfare, as well as federal-state relations, among others. President @MBuhari has directed the Ministers of @FinMinNi...

An investigation into the alleged disappearance of assets seized by the Abdulrasheed Maina-led Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms has been opened by the Senate. They had reportedly been kept in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The upper legislative chamber took the decision following the adoption of a motion by Senator Emmanuel Paulker (PDP, Bayelsa State). Paulker, chairman of the committee investigating the botched reinstatement and promotion of Maina, alleged that the top echelon of the EFCC and others shared some 270 properties that included exotic houses and hotels. The senator said his committee got wind of the matter following submissions by government officials connected with the reinstatement saga. Consequently, he requested the Senate to expand the scope of the committee’s investigation, with a view to unveiling persons involved in the scandal. “For this alarming revelation, sir, this committee requests the Senate to e...

The Federal Government has said that toll gates will be re-introduced on major highways across the country. The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), disclosed this on Thursday, November 23, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency. He said 38 points have been identified in the first phase of the re-introduction. "Clearly, tolling is coming," the minister told the lawmakers. According to him, the new toll gates will be situated at the old spots, adding that tolls will be collected after the roads have been made motorable. He said, "We are not going to ask road users to pay toll on a road that is not good. While the construction (of gates) is going on, we are working on the design. We want to standardise the design so that people when we ask people to come and bid for the construction, we can control what they are going to construct. They are going to construct the materials we have prescribed...

NIGERIA Labour Congress, NLC, has commiserated with the government and people of Adamawa State over the killing of 50 worshippers in Mubi by a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber and the slaying of 30 herders by yet to be identified assailants. NLC president, Ayuba Wabba in a statement made available to Nigerian Pilot, described the cold-blooded killings as shocking and reprehensible, thus calling for the investigation and prosecution of those found culpable. While appreciating the difficulties associated with policing an area as vast as the North East, Wabba also decried the recent resurgence of strikes at vulnerable targets by members of the Boko Haram operating from fall back positions. Furthermore, he called on the security and intelligence officers not to relent in tackling the insurgents especially, in strengthening the process of security awareness among the local populace, intelligence gathering by the personnel and de-radicalisation campaign generally...

The Senate today rejected one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominees for Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, Ahmad Bello Mahmud based on the recommendation by the Senate Committee on INEC in its report which was adopted. The Senate, however, approved the nomination of Ambassador Rufus Akeju (Lagos) and Dr. Mahmuda Isah (Kebbi) as Resident Electoral Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The rejected nominee, Mahmud was alleged not to be an indigene of Zamfara State but Sokoto State.

The House of Representatives has threatened to withdraw the licences of 18 lottery operators in the country for defaulting in payment of taxes and fees to the government. The committee on governmental affairs, chaired by Rep Suleiman Hussaini Kangiwa (APC, Kebbi), on Wednesday, stated that it would not accept a situation where lottery operators make millions of naira but do not meet their financial obligations to the government. In a meeting with the management of the Nigeria Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) and some of the operators, Kangiwa also threatened to issue an arrest warrant against the operators that failed to attend the meeting. “We’re very much aware of the 21 licensed operators in Nigeria, but only two or three remitting something to the government. It’s very unfortunate. “Nigerians and this committee are disappointed in you, because after getting licence and money, you don’t give the government anything”, he said. The committee also requested that all th...

Nigerian government, through the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has marked a property belonging to the former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, for demolition. The property sits a large expanse of land, opposite the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, headquarters in Jabi. The Development Control, a department under the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMAC) gave reasons for the planned demolition. It said the multi-billion naira property was a contravention of development control laws in the FCT, as it was sitting on a green area. “We have served them notice to stop further development of the property and produce necessary approvals within six days before resuming work, failure to do which, we will be left with no option but to remove the whole property,” a Director in the council told Vanguard. “That place is a green area, and the property on it looks like a hotel. And you can image the deceit there, the signboard outside the property indicates th...

As it appears there is no immediate hope for electricity consumers to provided with meters, the Federal Government has reinstated the regulation that allows power consumers to purchase meters from approved vendors. According to the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, the government has accordingly directed Nigeria electricity Regulatory Commission for immediate action on the directive. NERC had in September last year directed the 11 electricity distribution companies operating in the country to formally wind down the alternative meter financing scheme on or before November 1, 2016. The scheme was initiated by NERC in 2013. The commission had stated that the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation, which allowed electricity consumers to self-finance meter acquisition and installation given that Discos were unable to promptly deploy meters to them, would cease to exist from November 1, 2016. The ministry said  that both the federal and state governm...