Lawmakers reject bill to raise educational qualifications for political offices
The proposed legislation, introduced by Onanuga of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Ogun State, aimed to raise the educational threshold for aspirants vying for pivotal political offices in Nigeria. Advocating for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution, the bill proposed the requirement of a university degree or its equivalent for individuals aspiring to presidential, gubernatorial, and other prominent government positions. The bill initially garnered support from notable figures within the House of Representatives, including House Leader Julius Ihonvbere and several other lawmakers. However, opposition to the proposed legislation emerged during the plenary session, particularly from Aliyu Madaki of the APC representing Kano State and Ahmadu Jaha of the APC from Borno State. These lawmakers contended that the bill risked disenfranchising qualified individuals who may lack formal university degrees but possess substantial experience and leadership qualities.
Source:The Guardian
February 14, 2024 03:00 UTC
2 staffers punch, kick dog at Thane pet clinic, shocking act captured in viral video
Two people have been arrested after a video of them went viral in which they were seen punching and kicking a dog at a pet clinic in Maharashtra's Thane. The incident took place at Vetic Pet Clinic located in R Mall in Thane. advertisementIn the video, a pet clinic staffer was seen repeatedly punching the dog, whose breed is Chow Chow, on its face and back. The viral video has triggered outrage from various people, including several Bollywood actors. When the video went viral on social media, Nilesh Bhange, an office-bearer of animal rights organisation PAWS, and a few others filed a non-cognisable complaint, an official told news agency PTI.
Source:Punch
February 14, 2024 02:53 UTC
Gombe police nab fake ASP with Indian hemp, arrest 21 others
The Gombe State Police Command, on Tuesday, arrested 22 suspects including 32-year-old David Ochuko, and 27-year-old Jibril Sani for impersonation, conspiracy and owning substances suspected to be Indian hemp. Parading the suspects at the command headquarters, the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mahid Abubakar, said the suspects were arrested for impersonating Assistant Superintendent of Police. Abubakar said, “On the 7th of February, 2024, the suspects were arrested with six blocks of dry leaves suspected to be Indian hemp. “They were arrested along Dasa village of Dadin-kowa. They were arrested with an ASP identity card with an Army operational cap.”Also paraded are Yahaya Abdulkadir, Shuaibu Ahmadu, Musa Hussaini, Usman Haruna, Adamu Munkaila, Abdulmalik Mohammed, Dangunde Abba, Abdulsalam Shehu, Abdulmalik Garba, Ibrahim Yunusa, and Babangida Idris, who were arrested for criminal conspiracy, armed robbery.
Source:Punch
February 14, 2024 02:08 UTC
15,000 nurses left Nigeria in 2023 — Registrar, Nursing council
The Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Faruk Abubakar has said that over 15,000 nurses and midwives left the country in 2023 to seek greener pastures. Abubakar said this while speaking on the controversy surrounding the nurses’ certificate verification on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Morning Brief. “There is a lot of progress that is going on to review the salary and nurses are also included in that policy. He added that the council is not responsible for the remuneration of nurses in the country. “Additionally, the NANNM, which is the umbrella body (of nurses and midwives) is doing a lot.
Source:Punch
February 13, 2024 23:30 UTC
113.8m ‘undocumented’ Nigerians raise doubts on population size | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News
• Registration still 32% short of World Bank’s 148m June target• Insecurity defies NIN-SIM linkage as kidnapping festers• Experts want FG to fix economy, create jobs to curb insecurityDespite efforts made to close the gap, the disparity between the number of issued National Identification Numbers (NINs) and the country’s population figure remains extreme, raising concerns about the country’s ability to meet crucial milestones. This comes as the NIN enrolment figure and distribution pattern raise questions on the credibility of the population estimates, which the National Population Commission (NPC) pegged at near 218 million last year. Some experts have begun to doubt if the country’s actual population has not been overestimated, especially with childbirth control adoption gaining traction in the southern part of the country in recent years and the north still holed up in high infant mortality. As of December, there were 104.16 million issued NINs, a figure that is less than 50 per cent of the estimated population of the country. This suggests that there is still a gap of 113.8 million.
Source:The Guardian
February 13, 2024 21:16 UTC
Tinubu writes Senate to confirm Tadese Raheem as NPC commissioner
Tadese Raheem to the Senate for confirmation as Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC). The President said he wrote the Senate in compliance with Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution. Raheem, who is from the Tadese Royal Family in Iwo, also holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Science (Pol. Science) from the Oduduwa University, Ile-Ife and another degree in Arts and Education from the University of Ilorin before capping it with a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA), Master’s of Science in Public Administration and a Ph.D Public Administration from the Obafemi Awolowo University. A former Chief of the Osun State House of Assembly, Raheem won a seat to represent Iwo Constituency 1 in 1992.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
February 13, 2024 18:33 UTC
FRSC Gombe advises bicycle riders to avoid competing with cars to prevent crashes
Felix Theman, Gombe FRSC sector Commander, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafiyawo, Akko LGA, Gombe State, on Tuesday. According to him, competing with cars and other vehicles on the road can create conflicts which may result in a crash and cause fatality. He said it had been observed that some riders sometimes competed with cars, which he said was of great concern, hence the need to caution riders, especially children. “Also, bicycle users must avoid riding at night since bicycles don’t have light, it is dangerous, especially for children to use them on main roads. “If children must ride bicycles, they must use it within their neighbourhood where traffic activities are lower and risk of a crash is also low,” he said.
Source:The Guardian
February 13, 2024 17:49 UTC
Pacific storm train to bring one-two punch of wet weather and renewed flooding this weekend
Pacific storm train to bring one-two punch of wet weather and renewed flooding this weekendFollowing a welcome dry break, the next pair of storms will take a path farther to the south, increasing the risk of hard-hit areas receiving additional rainfall. CopiedThe weekend after Valentine’s Day, forecasters say rain will return to California, with renewed flooding possible. The floodgates of the Pacific Ocean will again be flung open as AccuWeather meteorologists project a storm duo to provide a one-two punch of wet weather this weekend into early next week. "Parts of Southern California will likely get heavier rain from the second, more impactful storm which is expected to arrive early next week," Zehr said. There is the potential for at least several inches of rain to fall along portions of the Southern California coast and nearby high terrain.
Source:Punch
February 13, 2024 17:48 UTC
Bandits kill nine in Katsina market attack
Gunmen on Sunday evening reportedly killed nine traders along Jibia/Batsari Road in Katsina State. Residents alleged that the traders were returning to their community from a local market in Jibia when they ran into the gunmen around 6 p.m. on Sunday. PUNCH Metro learnt that the traders were being conveyed in two vehicles which the gunmen also burnt. The gunmen also reportedly burnt down the two vehicles the traders were travelling in. He made the remarks at the annual West African Social Activities organised by the 17 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Katsina.
Source:Punch
February 13, 2024 17:08 UTC
Marketers await fuel from P’Harcourt refinery as Shell supplies crude
The NNPCL said in January it was seeking to engage reputable and credible operations and maintenance companies to run the Port Harcourt refinery. The Port Harcourt Refinery, situated in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, has been in operation since 1965, but later became moribund for several years. Earlier in 2021, Atiku faulted Buhari’s approval of $1.5bn for the renovation of the Port Harcourt refinery. Marketers await productsMeanwhile, oil marketers have expressed excitement over the supply of crude oil to Port Harcourt refinery by the SPDC. We are expecting fuel from Port Harcourt refinery, Dangote refinery, and even Warri refinery.
Source:Punch
February 13, 2024 14:17 UTC
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Tata Punch variants rejigged; 10 trims discontinued
The Tata Punch is now available in Creative MT, Creative Flagship MT and Creative AMT trims. Three new variants have been introduced, while 10 variants have been discontinued. The Tata Punch is now available in Creative MT, Creative Flagship MT and Creative AMT, priced at Rs 8.85 lakh, Rs 9.60 lakh, and Rs 9.45 lakh (ex-showroom), respectively. These include the Camo Adventure MT, Camo Adventure Rhythm MT, Camo Adventure AMT, Camo Accomplished MT, Camo Adventure Rhythm AMT, Camo Accomplished Dazzle MT, Camo Accomplished AMT, Camo Accomplished Dazzle AMT. The Tata Punch is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine that produces 87 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 115 Nm @ 3,150-3,350 rpm.
Source:Punch
February 13, 2024 14:16 UTC
International day for prevention of violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism
Violent Extremism is a threat to peace, security, human rights and sustainable development. Violent Extremism is beyond boundaries of any region. Even though Violent Extremism cannot be justified, it is due to different narratives such as injustice, violation of human rights, lack of good governance and negligence of promised empowerment. Nigeria is one of the countries that has the highest terrorism threat in the world. According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2023, Nigeria’s score is 8.065 – which is quite high.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
February 13, 2024 13:41 UTC
Inflation: Where are we going from here?
The same applies to CEOs of various small and medium-scale enterprises. All these calculations wouldn’t be necessary if the prices of goods and services were relatively stable, not fluctuating like water lettuce on the sea. The calculations used in the last 24 hours for purchasing goods are no longer reliable because prices have almost immediately increased. For any economy to achieve not just growth, but sustainable development, inflation must be well monitored and controlled. According to the December 2023 report from the National Bureau of Statistics, the inflation rate was 28.92 per cent, with the food sector leading at a historical level of 32.8 per cent.
Source:Punch
February 13, 2024 12:37 UTC
In self-deprecating return to ‘The Daily Show,’ Jon Stewart beats his critics to the punch
The parallels were impossible to ignore, so Jon Stewart decided not to ignore them. So the network has brought back Stewart for a weekly appearance on Monday nights, starting with this week’s season premiere. Bringing Stewart back is a momentary bright spot, but there’s still another three days a week of episodes to fill. Yet the lack of pomp and circumstance around his return means that its meta aspects become the most meaningful. Stewart could mock Biden’s fraying faculties or point out Trump’s infinite shortcomings in his sleep.
Source:Punch
February 13, 2024 11:27 UTC
Mandate Movement set up 37 structures for ease of administration
The Mandate Movement (TMM), a pro-Tinubu group in the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), has set up 37 structures in a bid to widen its reach and enlarge its membership base across the country. The structures consist of the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. National Leader of the movement, Cardinal James Odunmbaku, made this known in a statement, saying that the move had become necessary also for the ease of administration. “We have constituted screening structures across Nigeria as we set up the various state coordinator,” he said. He advised those to be appointed as states Coordinators to be more effective in mobilising new people into the ruling APC.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
February 13, 2024 08:13 UTC