Helicopter crash: Thousands mourn Iran’s Raisi in Tabriz procession
Iranians have gathered in Tabriz, the capital of the East Azerbaijan province, to mourn at a farewell procession for President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other people in the helicopter, including crew members, were also killed in the crash. After the procession in Tabriz, the bodies of Raisi, 63 and Amirabdollahian, 60, will be transferred to Tehran for another ceremony. Organisers in Mashhad said they are planning a “glorious” burial on Thursday for Raisi in the holy city. ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNEIranian President, other World leaders that died through air crash
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 21, 2024 19:42 UTC
Port Harcourt refinery begins operation July
Last year in December, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, announced the mechanical completion and flare start-off of the biggest crude refinery in Port Harcourt. On March 15, 2024, it was reported that the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, stated that the Port Harcourt refinery would commence operations in about two weeks. Dangote is coming soon and the Port Harcourt refinery is almost ready too and that is very good. We need that competition for the benefit of the nation.”The new timeline coincides with a proposal by the Dangote Refinery to commence petrol production by ending of next month (June). Everything has been completed in terms of our work, and once we get those approvals, it will start operations.”
Source:Punch
May 21, 2024 18:59 UTC
Food imports hit N3tn over flooding, insecurity – CBN
The rise in food prices in sub-Saharan Africa, is partly due to global factors, as the region imports most of its top staple foods. The country has a large agricultural sector, and there have been efforts to boost local production to reduce the dependence on food imports. Comparatively, the figure was $644,000 or 23 per cent less than a $2.7bn disbursed by the apex bank for food importation. Kabir said, “If you look at the regime we came out of on the dependence of importation and the numbers before that 2023 figure. We spent more on food importation before 2015 but between 2016 and 2021, the figure dropped from our observations.
Source:Punch
May 21, 2024 14:27 UTC
Japa: Proprietor collects WAEC, NECO fees, sells school, flies abroad
Mr. Sunday Adeyemi, a school owner in Ibadan, has reportedly disappeared with funds earmarked for students’ WAEC and NECO exam fees, leaving their educational prospects in jeopardy. The shocking revelation came to light through Adejoke Lasisi, the founder of Planet 3R, who took to Facebook to share the distressing news. According to her post, many parents had gone to great lengths, even borrowing money, to ensure their children could take these crucial exams. However, their hopes were shattered when they discovered that the school had not registered their children for the exams despite collecting the fees. ALSO READ: Polytechnic lecturers reject new governing council membersThe school owner’s actions were described as a betrayal of trust, especially considering he had operated “The Lord’s Favour” school for more than two decades.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 21, 2024 10:49 UTC
US slams ICC prosecutor’s call to arrest Israeli leaders
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as top Hamas leaders, on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. “The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. Biden’s expression of support for Netanyahu over the ICC bid comes despite recent disagreements with Israel over its conduct in the Gaza war. “The United States fundamentally rejects the announcement today from the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court,” Blinken said in a statement. ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNEWorld leaders react to death of late Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 21, 2024 08:37 UTC
Gov Eno spends ₦120bn on road infrastructure in Akwa Ibom in 1 year
Ememobong said that the current administration in the state had been quite consistent with infrastructure development. ”Remember that the governor recently invited former President, Goodluck Jonathan to inaugurate that project; it shows how serious we take the business of governance. The essence is to ensure the even distribution of dividends of democracy to the Akwa Ibom people. He noted that the governor had not only performed creditably in the area of road infrastructure but had ensured human capital development. ADVERTISEMENTThe commissioner said that the governor recently spent ₦400 million to empower no fewer than 800 entrepreneurs in the state.
Source:The Guardian
May 21, 2024 08:20 UTC
Cement price hike increasing building collapse – COREN
The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, has revealed that the arbitrary hike in cement prices is directly responsible for the increasing cases of building collapse in the country. “You will agree with me that this is one of the key culprits of building collapse. I am trying to connect the hike in the price of cement with the standardization in our building and the direct connection to building collapse. Gbwefi, who agreed with the COREN President that the cost of cement is directly related to building collapse, added that it also impacts tenancy rates. “Anything that has to do with livelihood should be treated as an emergency,” the Committee Chairman said.
Source:The Guardian
May 21, 2024 04:39 UTC
Lagos Govt seals 840 event centres, inspects 7,819 facilities in 1 year
“We’ve sealed 840 event centres and social facilities for safety violations and non-compliance with extant laws,” Oyerinde said. “Fire safety officers from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) successfully rescued 376 victims, preserving property estimated to be worth ₦152.22 billion. Oyerinde stressed that the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service had prioritised fire mitigation and emergency response strategies. He noted that the state constructed fire stations, modern workshops for Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and an access road to the 3rd Relief Camp. He said that this was part of its ongoing emergency, safety, and security initiatives.
Source:The Guardian
May 21, 2024 01:35 UTC
UK general election opinion poll tracker: Labour leading as election looms
The next UK general election is looming, with most analysts expecting it to be called late this year. The Guardian will track latest polling averages, sourced from all major British polling companies, until election day. The Scottish National party (SNP) is not included in the data the Guardian is using in the chart above. Source: Electoral Calculus . Seat predictions differ, but the one we show above is from the pollster Electoral Calculus.
Source:The Guardian
May 20, 2024 15:41 UTC
ATOPCON, NITP harp on physical development plans preparation
Consultant town planners have reiterated the need for government at the federal and state levels to prepare and implement physical development plans that align with social, economic and technological realities in the country. He said the idea of infrastructure provision before plot development should be reconsidered and advocated a more vibrant urban development bank for infrastructure growth. We need to revisit the planning application/permit process, speed and efficiency and physical planning institutional framework. ATOPCON President, Adebisi Adedire, expressed concern that the challenges faced in implementing physical development plans are significant ranging from economic uncertainties to social inequalities, and environmental threats to technological disruptions. He noted that effective physical planning incorporates strategies such as surveillance, and territorial reinforcement.
Source:The Guardian
May 20, 2024 15:14 UTC
JUST IN : CBN officially withdraws cybersecurity levy
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has officially withdrawn the directive earlier given to banks to enact the process of deduction of cyber security levy to be administered by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA). Honourable Chinda had drawn the attention of the House to multiple interpretations of the CBN directive against the specifications in the Cybersecurity Act. The House then expressed worry that the Act would be implemented in error if immediate steps were not taken, to address the concerns around the interpretation of the CBN directive and the Cybersecurity Act. The CBN on the 6th of May, 2024, issued a circular mandating all banks, mobile money operators, and payment service providers, to implement a new cybersecurity levy, following the provisions laid out in the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) The deducted amount was to be explicitly noted in customer accounts under the descriptor “Cybersecurity Levy” and remitted by the financial institution.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 20, 2024 12:14 UTC
Life without innovation
Without innovation, creativity is not patentable – Innovation or invention is what creativity looks like. From ideation to innovation, value is created and solutions are birthed. Innovation is animated creativity, without innovation, creativity remains muted. Without innovation, a business is not presentable – “Innovation is the new competitive advantage. Without innovation, the future is not predictable – “Innovation is the future delivered.” – Jorge Barba.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 20, 2024 11:54 UTC
Let’s generate output to earn income
Oil revenue remains the dominant source of income for the economy, notwithstanding the structural or physical diversification shown by the rebasing. The estimate of the total GDP of the Nigerian economy moved from US$270 billion to US$510 billion at the 2014 exchange rate. That is the nature of returns on work or efforts that generate output and returns on rent-seeking efforts. That orientation gave way to the rapid but sustainable growth of the rent-seeking economy. Nigerian electricity companies want to charge appropriately without supplying electricity efficiently.
Source:Punch
May 20, 2024 08:59 UTC
NLC unaware of LP merger talks ahead 2027 — Ajaero
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, has said the congress was not aware of merger talks involving the Labour Party with some political parties in the country. The LP, which is a socio-democratic political party, was founded by the organised labour. However, due to internal conflict within the PDP, Obi left the party in 2022 and contested the 2023 presidential election as the candidate of the Labour Party. The former vice president mentioned that his recent meeting with Obi might indicate a possible alliance leading up to the 2027 general elections. When asked if the NLC would support merger talks that would make the LP cease to exist or if the organised labour would be involved in any merger talks involving the party, Ajaero said, “We are not aware of such talks.”
Source:Punch
May 20, 2024 08:55 UTC
What the people are saying…
We tried the parliamentary system; we tried the military; we tried dictatorship, and we have now tried the presidential system – which was better?”Another man cut in: “That is why the Baba is saying we should try our own African system”“Which African system? Black man, black ideas, black brains, black stomach, black everything; black behaviour!”“It means Baba himself is part of the problem. There must be someone in your family who will benefit”“Will that person share his or her salary with me?”“Are you, therefore, saying that there should be no salary increase?”“I am saying that Labour should also consider those of us who are not salary earners and pursue policies that will benefit everyone, not their members alone”“Labour is fighting for everyone. I am saying they should fight for benefits that will reach everyone””Like what and what?”“If we go back to agriculture and begin to grow both cash and food crops, food prices will drop and everyone will benefit. Truly, it is a peculiar mess of the highest order when the minister was reported as saying why we are in darkness is because Nigerians waste power by putting on their fridges and freezers days on-end!
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 19, 2024 18:28 UTC