The naira continued its downward trend after exchanging to the dollar at 980/$ at the parallel market on Wednesday. Bureau de Change operators who spoke to The PUNCH attributed the fall to scarcity of foreign currency. A BDC operator, Idris Musa, said, “We bought and sold the naira today at 965/$ and 980/$. The dollar is not even available.”Another BDC operator, Yusuf Kareem, said, “The dollar was sold for 980 today. The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria, recently, urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to grant Bureaux De Change operators digital autonomy to achieve exchange rate convergence.

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three yet-to-be-identified suspects as a drunken hunter allegedly shot dead a 14-year-old girl. Details leading to the unfortunate incident were still sketchy as of press time, but our correspondent learnt that the yet-to-be-identified girl was shot dead by the hunter who was on a bike in the Ayinla Akera area of Orile Agege, Lagos. A video of the scene obtained by PUNCH Metro showed the girl in a pool of blood as residents wailed. Some voices in the background alleged that the act was carried out by the policemen from the Elere Police Station in the area. “Policemen from Elere; they have killed somebody,” a voice was heard saying in the video.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Tanko Sununu, has appealed to students, parents, and lecturers in public tertiary institutions to shun acts capable of disrupting the academic calendar ahead of school resumption. Sununu made the appeal in Abuja on Wednesday when the leadership of the Congress of University Academics paid him a courtesy visit. The minister said exercise of restraint would be in the best interest of all stakeholders as well as the stability of the system. Sunmonu also appealed to the government to look into ways of improving the condition of service of academic and non-academic staff of universities, which he said had deteriorated due to the petroleum subsidy removal. He added that there was a need to revisit the issue of the eight-month salary arrears that arose from the last strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, arguing that members of CONUA did not go on strike.

India has suspended visa services for Canadian citizens, the country’s visa service provider, BLS International, said on Thursday on its website. BLS International earlier announced the suspension citing “operational reasons”, adding their office will remain shut “till further notice”. India’s foreign ministry spokesperson did not respond to queries about the matter. The announcement comes amid a diplomatic tussle between the two countries, where Ottawa accused New Delhi of involvement in the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada. They act as outlaws who are wont to breach the law at every turn.

The Plateau State Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal will on Friday deliver judgement on the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate during the March 18 election, Dr. Nentawe Yiltwatda challenging the victory of Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party. A member of PDP’s legal team, Barrister Sunday Odey confirmed the judgement date to The PUNCH in Jos on Wednesday. Odey said ” Yes, it is true. The ruling of the governorship tribunal in the case between the PDP and the APC has been fixed for Friday, September 22, 2023″The Independent National Electoral Commission Mutfwang declared the winner of the poll after polling 525,299 votes beating Yiltwatda, who polled 481,370 votesThe tribunal had earlier dismissed the petition filed by the governorship Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Alfred Dabwan against Governor Caleb Mutfwang.

THERE have been many comments and reactions to the foreign-trained medical graduates and their performances in the MDCN-organised qualifying examinations in the recent times. Like anything in life, one should not expect complete perfection in everything and the conduct of MDCN qualifying examinations for the foreign-trained medical graduates may not be an exception. To the Foreign-trained medical graduates: Your decision to become medical doctors is highly commendable but you should note and know that medical profession, like other professions involved in life saving, is not for the dull, faint-hearted and lazy individual. Suggestions/advices for the parents/guardians of the Foreign-trained medical graduates. The MDCN should also empower all accredited training centers in the country to accept any willing foreign-trained medical graduates for clinical attachmentsfor a proper and goal-directed orientation.

Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that alongside its ongoing nuclear threat, Russia is also weaponising essentials like global food and energy markets, and using them “not only against our country, but all of yours as well”. Zelenskyy disclosed this to world leaders in the UN General AssemblySince the start of the war, Ukrainian ports in the Black and Azov seas were blocked by Russia and its ports on the Danube River targeted by drones and missiles, he said. “It is a clear Russian attempt to weaponise the food shortage on the global market, in exchange for recognition of some, if not all, of the captured territories.”He said the impact of that weaponisation could be seen from Africa to South-East Asia. He added that Russia was conducting mass kidnapping and deportation of Ukrainian children, making it a clear case of genocide. He said the children were taught to hate Ukraine and all ties broken with their families in Russia.

He said, “There is also the issue of current unimpressive forex reserves; high inflation rate; low possibility of raising market rates to more attractive levels; high debt profile and increasing debt servicing costs and public aversion to more borrowing. “Better attempts should be made to ensure a strategic balance between tackling inflation and engendering economic growth through effective funding. So, promoting long-term macroeconomic management under this scenario is a task that has the CBN Governor located right in the middle.”Speaking further, Ajayi-Kadir said there is a need for the country’s fiscal policies and monetary policies to be in sync. He added that manufacturers expect that the new Governor will actively support this policy handshake as this was lacking in the last administration. “I recall that we severally sought to meet with the former CBN Governor to express our concerns over the BDCs management of the forex disbursements but we never got a chance, neither did we get any responses to the fact-based submissions we made on manufacturers’ forex application and receipts.”

Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky is set to go face to face with Russian officials for the first time since his country was invaded, as the UN Security Council meets Wednesday for a potentially dramatic session. Zelensky flew to New York for the annual UN General Assembly, where he delivered a speech Tuesday in his trademark military fatigues urging the world to stand firm against Russia. On Wednesday, he will address a special session on the war at the powerful Security Council, where Russia is a permanent member wielding veto power against any decisions. It will be the most direct diplomatic encounter between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow invaded in February 2022. It will be the most direct diplomatic encounter between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow invaded in February 2022.

AGRA has said it has engaged no fewer than 967,000 farmers as part of efforts to enhance food production in Nigeria. The Country Director of AGRA, Dr Kehinde Makinde made the assertion during an inspection visit to NAERLS/ AGRA demonstration farms/commissioning of a Screen house at Likoro village of Kudan local government area of Kaduna State. According to him, farmers in the two states of Kaduna and Niger states were trained and supported in new farming skills. He said the AGRA train will soon move to Nasarawa, Gombe and Oyo states to provide similar technical skills and support to farmers in these states. He further maintained, “Our major concern is food production.

But when such happens, does the law have any provision on how to handle such matters and what are the legal perspectives to such issues? What legal steps should be taken when there is a suspicious death? Across Nigeria, particularly in Lagos State, there is a Coroners Law which is the legal framework set up to investigate the circumstances around a suspicious death by conducting a Coroner’s inquest, which is simply a fact-finding mission. An inquest is held mandatorily under the law, when there is reasonable cause to believe that the cause of a death is unknown, sudden, unnatural or suspicious, due to various issues. The verdict is to be forwarded to the Commissioner of Police, the Chief Coroner, the Chief Medical Examiner and the Divisional Police Officer for the district.

The National grid has collapsed again, just five days after it was restored following a similar incident that led to a total blackout across the country. The generation data indicated that only Afam VI (GAS/STEAM), Azura-Edo IPP (GAS), and Delta Gas contributed to the grid at the time. However, as of 7 p.m., generation had increased to 1,914.60 MW with 12 generators on the grid. The contributing generators were Afam VI (Gas/Steam), Azura-Edo IPP, Delta Gas, Egbin (Steam), Geregu (Gas), Kainji (hydro), Odukpani (NIPP), Okpai (Gas/Steam), Olorunsogo (gas/steam), Olorunsogo (NIPP), Trans-Amadi, and Omotosho (Gas). Although the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has yet to react to the development, the grid collapsed twice on September 14, 2023, marking 421 days since the last incident was recorded.

No fewer than eight security agents comprising soldiers, policemen and Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps have been killed by gunmen in Imo State. The incident which happened on Tuesday morning in Umualumaku community, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state has thrown the area into panic. The joint security taskforce team who were in two security trucks were ambushed and set ablaze by their attackers. A resident in the community who do not want to reveal his identity for security said that he saw the security agents a few minutes before they were set ablaze. Our correspondent saw a video clip of the attack as the security agents set ablaze in the two vehicles.

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Dangote Refinery is set to begin refining petrol by November 30, 2023, and diesel and jet fuel operations by October 2023, the group’s executive director Devakumar Edwin says. Furthermore, Edwin pointed out that the refinery would initiate a gradual increase in petrol production, aiming to reach an impressive 650,000 barrels per day by November 30. He emphasised the refinery’s readiness to receive crude oil, stating, “Right now, I’m ready to receive crude. He said that the setback is momentary, and the refinery would soon run exclusively on Nigerian crude oil as of November 2023. He noted that the Nigerian oil would be purchased in US dollars, and not naira because it is in a free trade zone on the outskirts of Lagos.