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Category: Editors’ Pick

  • In Adamawa, man beats his wife to death

    In Adamawa, man beats his wife to death

    Aminu Abubakar, a man from Adamawa State, has been arrested by police for allegedly beating his wife to death.

    The suspect, a resident of Lelewaji, Shagari Phase 2, in the state’s Yola South Local Government Area, is accused of murdering Nana Fadimatu a day before her wedding to her new suitor.

    According to police findings, the suspect and the deceased had a long marital conflict.

    It was also revealed that the couple had agreed to split up.

    Read Also: Tribunal: Atiku Takes Bold Step Regarding Media Coverage of Court Proceedings

    Abubakar, on the other hand, was said to have become envious after learning that his estranged wife, whom he was still accommodating in the house, was getting married to one Mahmud Rufai.

    He was accused of hitting her with a pestle.

    According to SP Suleiman Nguroje, the state Police Public Relations Officer, “Angered by the information that Nana was going to marry a new husband, the suspect engaged her on May 5, 2023, around 10pm, applied force on her by hitting her with a hard object, as a result of which she fell unconscious and was later pronounced dead.”

    Nguroje stated that the suspect, who has been arrested, will be prosecuted after a thorough investigation.

  • Tribunal: Atiku Takes Bold Step Regarding Media Coverage of Court Proceedings

    Tribunal: Atiku Takes Bold Step Regarding Media Coverage of Court Proceedings

    In a move that will excite many Nigerians, particularly those who have criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for declaring Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the president-elect, Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), wants the soon-to-be-launched court proceeding challenging the outcome of the 2023 presidential election to be televised.

    To accomplish this, Atiku filed a request for an order allowing live coverage of daily court proceedings.

    According to reports, his legal team, led by Chris Uche, SAN, specifically requested “an order directing the Court’s Registry and the parties on modalities for admission of Media Practitioners and their Equipment into the courtroom.”

    Read Also: “Senate Presidency is a Senator’s Business” — Yari Attacks Tinubu

    According to him, the case has piqued the interest of Nigerians from all 36 states of the federation, as well as the international community.

    In part, the motion stated:

    “With the enormous and tremendous technological advances and developments in Nigeria and beyond, including this court’s current trend towards embracing electronic procedures, virtual hearings, and electronic filing, a departure from the rules to allow regulated televising of the proceedings in this matter is consistent with the maxim that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.”

  • Salah creates history as Liverpool moves closer to top four with 1-0 win over Brentford

    Salah creates history as Liverpool moves closer to top four with 1-0 win over Brentford

    Mohamed Salah’s goal in Liverpool’s hard-fought 1-0 win over Brentford not only moved the Reds closer to the top four in the English Premier League, but it also diverted attention away from the controversial booing of the national anthem at Anfield on coronation day.

    The majority of fans booed the pre-match performance of “God Save the King” as a protest of the establishment’s past actions, including the handling of the Hillsborough disaster and the city’s treatment in the 1980s. However, the atmosphere changed with the familiar tune of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and Salah kicked off the celebrations with his 100th goal at Anfield.

    Read Also: 80,000 sit for rescheduled UTME on Saturday

    Salah’s 13th-minute finish, while not his most elegant, made history by making him the first Liverpool player in all competitions to score in nine consecutive home matches. The goal, which required two close-range touches to convert Virgil van Dijk’s header, also brought Salah’s tally to 30 goals for the third consecutive season, tying him with Steven Gerrard for fifth place on Liverpool’s all-time goalscoring list.

    Liverpool’s sixth consecutive victory moved them within a point of fourth-placed Manchester United and three points of third-placed Newcastle, who have two games in hand.

    Brentford will play West Ham on Sunday, while Leicester will play Liverpool on Monday.

  • “Senate Presidency is a Senator’s Business” — Yari Attacks Tinubu

    “Senate Presidency is a Senator’s Business” — Yari Attacks Tinubu

    Senator Abdulaziz Yari, a Senate presidential candidate, recently spoke out against reported attempts by President-elect Bola Tinubu to influence Senate leadership selection.

    Yari, a former governor of Zamfara, is advocating for the constitutionally mandated process of selecting the presiding officers of the Assembly’s Upper Chamber to be followed.

    Yari stated during a meeting with executives of the Tinubu Shettima Network (TSN) chaired by Dr. Kailan that the responsibility for selecting Senate leaders lay with the senators themselves.

    The Senate Presidential election, according to Yari, is solely a matter for the senators, with the Constitution providing the necessary framework for determining leadership positions.

    “The Senate presidency is a senator’s business, and on the day when we are going to do it, everybody may think of the party body or anyone is advisory to what we are going to do that day, but the final decision is ours,” he said.

    Read Also: Tinubu’s cabinet: I’m not lobbying to become Chief of Staff — el-Rufai

    “We are not for anyone when we do that.” We are following the constitution’s directive to choose our own leader.

    “The sections of the constitution state this very clearly.” What happens that day will happen according to the instructions of the constitution, not for anyone.

    “So, we are going to exercise our constitutional rights there,” Yari explained.

    Earlier, this newspaper reported that Yari had refused to step down for former minister and Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio.

    It is believed that Yari’s decision to defy President-elect Bola Tinubu, who is reportedly pushing for Akpabio’s selection as Senate President, is causing a schism among the contenders.

  • 80,000 sit for rescheduled UTME on Saturday

    80,000 sit for rescheduled UTME on Saturday

    Adamu Adamu, Minister of Education, expressed satisfaction with the rescheduled 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Saturday.

    Adamu, who, along with the registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, monitored the exam at the Computer Based Test Centre in Mambilla Barracks, Asokoro, Abuja, expressed delight at the exam’s smooth conduct.

    “I am very happy with what I have seen,” Adamu told journalists gathered at the centre. Regarding the (temporary) holding room (for candidates) and the arrangement where they will take the examination, I believe everything is in order.

    “Everything is fine, have you noticed any problems?” “Perhaps they should have a class for the holding room; I believe that is the only improvement they will make here,” Adamu suggested.

    Meanwhile, in an interview with journalists at the venue, JAMB’s Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said that approximately 80,000 candidates who were unable to sit for the 2023 UTME within their scheduled time due to no fault of their own sat for the rescheduled UTME across the country.

    Read Also: LP Scribe, Kenneth Okonkwo: If judiciary performs as expected, Obi will be president

    According to a JAMB spokesperson, the candidates affected include those who were verified at their centres but were unable to sit the examination, those who could not be biometrically verified, and those with mismatched data, among others.
    He stated that the use of innovations in the exam’s administration paid off handsomely, as the exercise had the fewest reported cases of infractions.

    “Examination malpractices were almost non-existent in this year’s UTME,” Benjamin said.

    When asked when the results of the rescheduled UTME would be released by the examination body, Benjamin stated that the board’s management will analyse the conduct of the exercise after its conclusion before making a decision.

    It was previously reported that the board released the results of candidates who had previously taken part in the exam, which began on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

    A total of 1,586,765 candidates registered for the 2023 UTME.

  • Buhari applauds UNICAL for entrepreneurship education training

    Buhari applauds UNICAL for entrepreneurship education training

    President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerian universities to continue to prioritize entrepreneurship education training.

    He stated that this would result in a class of graduates who would be trained as job creators in the country.

    Buhari made the announcement on Saturday in Calabar, through Mr Goodluck Opiah, Minister of State for Education, at the University of Calabar’s 35th convocation ceremony.

    He stated that his administration is committed to meeting legitimate expectations about shaping the future through education.

    He praised the University’s entrepreneurship program and the institution’s collaboration with both national and international development partners.

    He went on to say that the handshake between the town and the gown was admirable.

    “I’d also like to commend the University for its effective collaboration and linkages with other institutions around the world, which will provide students with opportunities for scholarship and research.”

    “The achievements in online result handling and management, as well as the daring attempts to create a smart campus, are also commendable.”

    “My administration is committed to meeting legitimate expectations about shaping the future through education.”

    “As a result, I challenge our universities to continue to emphasize entrepreneurship training so that our graduates can become job creators rather than perpetual job seekers,” he said.

    “I also challenge you to work with industries to increase the level of production going on in the country so that we can achieve a diversified economy,” he added.

    He stated that his administration’s commitment to the growth of the education sector was evident in various intervention agencies, and as a result, funding was provided in addition to budgetary allocation.

    “This is evident in projects such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and Needs Assessment in public universities to improve facilities for meaningful research, teaching, and learning.”

    “I commend UNICAL’s management for the sustained campaign against cultism, which has resulted in a tremendously peaceful and congenial environment for the healthy academic enterprise over the decades,” he added.

    Prof. Florence Obi, Vice Chancellor of the institution, stated that the university was in desperate need of funds to build a perimeter fence around the water front to prevent crime.

    Obi stated that she has made significant progress in repositioning the university since taking office in December 2020 by instituting reforms and providing facilities.

    Read also: Bwala: Tinubu Visited Rivers State To acknowledge The Capacity Of The PDP

    She stated that the lecture pavilions, office complexes, and two student hostels had all been completed successfully.

    “Within a short period of time, we have also completed massive hostel renovations and classroom furnishing, as well as installing solar street lights, resurfacing roads, and constructing flood control drainages.”

    “Through the use of Information and Communication Technology resources, we are gradually achieving our smart campus goal,” she said.

    Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, the institution’s Chancellor, promised to work tirelessly to ensure that the university remains competitive in the global academic community while also being the best university in Sub-Saharan Africa.

    The institution’s Pro-Chancellor, retired Gen. Martin Luther-Agwai, stated unequivocally that UNICAL was grossly underfunded.

    Luther-Agwai explained that the underfunding was caused in part by a decrease in government funding.

    The event’s high point was the awarding of the title of Professor Emeritus to Prof. Patrick Ebong, a University Professor of Endocrinology.

  • LP Scribe, Kenneth Okonkwo: If judiciary performs as expected, Obi will be president

    LP Scribe, Kenneth Okonkwo: If judiciary performs as expected, Obi will be president

    Kenneth Okonkwo, a veteran actor and spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, has stated that the party’s candidate, Peter Obi, will be the next President of Nigeria if the presidential tribunal does its “true bidding.”

    He stated this recently while appearing as a guest on News Central’s Politics HQ.

    “By the grace of God,” he said, “if the court of justice will live up to its true bidding of being a court of justice, I will tell you that Peter Obi will be the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    Read Also: May 11: FG responds to ASUU’s arbitration request

    According to Okonkwo, Section 134 2b of the Nigerian constitution states that any candidate who does not receive 25% of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory should not be declared the winner of a presidential election.

    He stated that it is up to the judiciary to save Nigeria’s democracy by doing its true bidding.

  • Bwala: Tinubu Visited Rivers State To acknowledge The Capacity Of The PDP

    Bwala: Tinubu Visited Rivers State To acknowledge The Capacity Of The PDP

    Daniel Bwala, a spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 presidential campaign council, described President-elect Bola Tinubu’s visit to Rivers State as a tacit acknowledgement of the PDP’s capacity.

    Tinubu was in Rivers State on Wednesday to honour Governor Nyesom Wike’s invitation to commision some projects carried out by his administration.

    In response to Tinubu’s visit, Bwala took to Twitter to claim that by agreeing to commision projects in Rivers State, Tinubu has implicitly acknowledged the PDP’s capacity as a result-oriented party.

    The PDP chieftain stated that Tinubu’s first official assignment as President-elect must have been a priority for him.

    Read Also: NCC Awards N1.1bn Contract To LAUTECH For Virtual Examination Centre

    “By agreeing to commision the projects in Rivers, Asiwaju has tacitly acknowledged the capacity of the PDP as a result-oriented party,” he wrote. It is his first official duty as President-elect. “Power to the people, PDP.”

    Tinubu Will Be Fair To All.
    The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, has assured Nigerians that the administration of President-elect Bola Tinubu will not exclude anyone.

    He noted that Tinubu’s mission to unite the country would be more visible through the appointments he makes after taking office.

    This was stated by the APC chieftain during an interview with Arise Television on Wednesday.

    Morka stated that the President-elect would treat everyone fairly, including the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.

    He stated that Tinubu was aware of the country’s divisions and that the former Lagos governor would be coming in with a sense of duty in that regard.

  • May 11: FG responds to ASUU’s arbitration request

    May 11: FG responds to ASUU’s arbitration request

    On Wednesday, the Federal Government informed the National Industrial Court of its decision to formally react to the request for arbitration made by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by May 11.

    The African Students’ Union of Uganda (ASUU) has initiated legal action against the Minister of Labour and Employment as well as the Registrar of Trade Unions (RTU).

    The lawsuit challenges the purported threat made by the Federal Government to revoke ASUU’s certificate of registration due to the organization’s failure to provide annual financial returns and audited accounts for almost ten years.

    During the sitting on Tuesday, the attorney for ASUU, Mr. Marshal Abubakar, holding the brief of Mr. Femi Falana SAN, informed the court that he had filed a motion for the matter to be referred to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre of the court. Mr. Marshal Abubakar was holding the brief of Mr. Femi Falana SAN.

    In response, Mr. J.U.K Igwe, SAN stated that he had not been served any application to that effect. He added that this was the case.

    In addition to the application, he stated that he would need to confer with his clients in order to determine what decision they would make regarding the referral to ADR.

    Because of this, the judge, Justice Benedict Kanyip, decided to postpone the proceeding until Wednesday.

    However, when the issue was brought up in court on Wednesday, Igwe told the judge that he had waited all day Tuesday, but he did not receive ASUU’s application until just a little while before the proceeding on Wednesday.

    As a result, he requested a postponement so that he could have more time to respond formally to the application submitted by ASUU asking for mediation at the ADR.

    The attorney continued by saying that he needed to also file other applications after seeing ASUU’s because agreeing to go to the ADR would involve delving into the specifics of the law in a more technical manner.

    Igwe stated that he was going to consult with his clients and would not be formally reacting to ASUU’s application at this time, so Justice Kanyip stated that the matter would be postponed until Wednesday.

    Read Also: Zenith Bank pleases shareholders by paying N100.47bn dividend

    The judge also stated that he had the authority to refer the parties to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) on his own, as the Centre does not have the authority to compel anyone to agree or accept issues that have been mediated upon.

    Because Abubakar did not raise any objections to Igwe’s request for a postponement so that she could respond to their demand, the judge ruled as follows:

    “Yesterday, the attorneys for the defendants asked for a delay in the proceedings so that they could confer with their respective clients.

    ” The purpose of requesting the adjournment was not to formally respond to the motion for mediation; rather, it was to consult.

    ” Although I am taken aback by this latest turn of events, I will not prevent you from continuing.

    The judge made the decision to postpone the case until May 11 in Abuja in order to hear the motion for arbitration. “In the circumstances,” the judge said.

  • CBN adds 7,552 BVN to watchlist as eNaira transactions reach 1.4m

    CBN adds 7,552 BVN to watchlist as eNaira transactions reach 1.4m

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has placed 7,552 Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) on its watchlist in case they are used in fraudulent transactions. This comes at the same time as the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), also known as eNaira, has recorded 1.4 million transactions to date, which represents an increase of 100 percent compared to the 700,000 transactions that were recorded in November 2022.

    In a similar vein, Nigeria is transitioning towards cashless and other contactless payment options, such as QR Codes and NFC, amongst others, for the purpose of facilitating seamless financial transactions throughout the country.

    Yesterday, in Calabar, Cross River State, at the 34th Finance Correspondents and Business Editors seminar, the topic of discussion was “Implementing a Robust Payment Architecture Prospects, Opportunities, and Challenges.” The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, stated that the Nigeria payment system landscape has continued to record significant changes and development.

    Emefiele, who was represented by Dr. Hassan Mahmud, the director of Monetary Policy, stated that since the launch of eNaira, the central bank has continued to modify the features of the digital currency in order to make it more accessible to a wider variety of users.

    “In today’s day and age, one does not require a smartphone in order to use the eNaira because it has become compatible with all generations of mobile devices (both new and old).” Over 1.4 million transactions have been completed using the eNaira platform to this day,” he added.

    He emphasised that the apex bank took advantage of the opportunity by launching the eNaira in October 2021, saying that the introduction of COVID-19 without a doubt triggered rapid advancements in financial technology, leading to speedy digitisation of money and finance. He said this was the case.
    It was noted by him that the eNaira was developed to expand the payment options available to Nigerians and to foster digital financial inclusion. Additionally, it has the potential to speed up both intergovernmental and social transfers.

    Read Also: NCC Awards N1.1bn Contract To LAUTECH For Virtual Examination Centre

    The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also disclosed that the total enrolment of BVN users as of March 31, 2023 stood at 57.43 million. He added that the BVN has also assisted the industry in investigating fraud and other crimes associated with the sector.

    “The BVN is providing assistance in the creation of credit profiles for banking customers, which will assist in the improvement of access to credit for credit-worthy borrowers provided by financial institutions. The BVN has continued to play an important role in our Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements as a component of our plans to alleviate the burden associated with improper identification of banking customers. He was quick to point out that “we have continued to support the aggressive enrolment of prospective banking customers in the informal sector onto the BVN system.”

    Emefiele made note of the fact that cyber threats and the fraudulent activities of fraudsters continue to threaten the resiliency of payment platforms, and that the confidence of the general public is negatively impacted as a result of these activities. He revealed that there is a concerted effort being made by the Central Bank of Nigeria and other players in the industry to put a stop to the nefarious activities that are being carried out by these fraudsters.

    According to him, “in response to the challenges posed by cyber threats, the CBN is addressing these hiccups with the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF), the payment card industry data security standard, the financial industry cybersecurity fusion centre, and other initiatives against cybersecurity and fraud in Nigeria.”

    He stated that in order to achieve minimal cybersecurity threats in the payments system, the bank will also continue to adopt a collaborative approach and then made the following promise: “a holistic mechanism for addressing cybersecurity threats requires policy and operational actions by all stakeholders.”

    “As you are aware, the Bank will be implementing a Risk-Based Cyber-Security Framework and Guidelines for Other Financial Institutions beginning January 2023. This will ensure that these institutions are able to maintain their operational resilience in the face of cyber-security threats.

    In his paper, the director of Payment Systems Management at the CBN, Musa Jimoh, who was represented by the deputy director of Payment Systems, Adefuye Adeyemi, revealed that there are 7,552 people on the BVN watchlist for fraudulently related transactions.

    According to him, the CBN is now able to track fraudulent individuals and entities thanks to the centralisation of the BVN. These individuals and entities are said to have engaged in fraudulent activities such as forgery, compromise, complicity, fraudulent duplicate enrolment, and any other fraudulent infraction with or without a monetary value.

    Speaking further on the cardless and other contactless payment options, he said that the banking industry is quickly evolving towards cardless and other contactless payment options, and he added that the regulator has issued robust regulations to standardise the operations of contactless payments in Nigeria. He was referring to the fact that the cardless and other contactless payment options are becoming increasingly popular.

    It is an innovative payment option for the safe and efficient conduct of low-value, large-volume payments, as he pointed out, and contactless payments allow for financial transactions to be completed without the need for any physical contact between the payer and the devices that are acquiring the payments.

    He emphasised that this, in addition to other payment initiatives, has helped open a vista of new opportunities in the payment ecosystem. He said that as a result of these ground-breaking technological advancements, the market has witnessed the deployment of new payment solutions.

    “Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and contactless payment systems are just a few of the areas that are creating new opportunities for operators. He emphasised that the Payments System Vision (PSV) 2025 contains several recommendations that are aimed at driving implementation of some of the most recent technologies to ensure the system’s resilience and safety. This document was just recently launched.

    He emphasised that the Nigerian payments and financial services sector is ranked among the best in terms of innovation, regulation, and resilience. He also noted that in order to maintain the successes that have been achieved, it is essential to have the support of all of the financial institutions and stakeholders.

    In this regard, he stated that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is prepared to continue to strengthen the institutional and regulatory frameworks that would encourage further development of the payments system and promote the usage of secure and credible electronic products in accordance with the PSV 2025 strategic plan.