NIGERIAN NOTCH

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 653 new COVID-19 cases in the country as total infections from the virus rise to 35, 107. The NCDC made this known on its official twitter handle late on Saturday. The health agency said that as of July 18, 653 new confirmed cases and six deaths were recorded in the country. It said that the 653 new cases were reported from 27 states and the FCT. According to the agency, only nine states did not report a new case of the disease in the past 24 hours. The NCDC added that Lagos state reported the highest number of infections with 115 new cases, while Kwara reported 85 new infections. Amongst others were Enugu with 80 cases and the FCT with 78. Rivers had 36 cases, Ondo – 35, Oyo – 30, Katsina – 28, Kaduna – 19, Abia – 19, Nasarawa – 18, Plateau – 17, and Imo – 16. Four states, namely: Ogun, Ebonyi, Benue, and Kano reported nine more infections with Delta, Bauchi, and Ekiti having eight, seven, and six new cases re

………..Afenifere wants coroner inquest into Tolulope Arotile's death   More questions, emerged, yesterday, over the death of the late Flight Officer, Tolulope Arotile, as the umbrella body of Yoruba-speaking areas of Kogi State, Okun Development Association, ODA, called on the Federal Government to order an immediate investigation into the matter. The association described the official explanation on the cause of her death as curious, saying only a proper investigation could clear growing suspicions over the matter. Arotile, who was Nigeria’s first female combatant helicopter pilot in Nigerian Airforce, NAF, died in an accident on July 14, 2020, at the Nigerian Air force Base, Kaduna.   Detail As of the day, the news of her death broke, there was hardly any detail regarding the incident. But a day after, the Nigerian Air force, in a statement by its Director Public of Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said she was inadvertently hit by the reversing

The Publisher Arise Africa Magazine, Mr Ikechukwu Anyanwu revealed that plans are already in top gear for the Arise Africa Achievers Award being organized by Arise Africa Magazine The all-important event will take place at Owerri capital on Saturday, July 25th-26th 2020 and the Governor will also double as an Award Recipient and Special Guest of Honour. His Excellency Distinguished Sen. Hope Uzodimma was nominated by well meaning Nigerians to receive Award at Arise Africa Achieves Award organized by popular online media, Arise Africa Magazine During a visit to Government house on Tuesday 14th July 2020 to inform the Governor about the nomination, the team led by the Chairman Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria (OMPAN) Imo State and  Publisher of Arise Africa, was well received by the Special Adviser on Electronic and New Media to the Governor, Hon Mrs Nneamaka Okafor. Mrs Okafor who was nominated  for Excellence In Public Service Award, thanked Imolites for  nominating he

The Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District has further dispelled the wicked rumours by enemies of progress, about the Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, on the durability of Innoson Vehicles at the Senate. In a press release, made available to newsmen after a press briefing at the Senate, Senator Utazi stated emphatically that Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah represents the new face of Ndi Igbo and progress in Nigeria. He stressed that "It pleases me to make this press release clarifying my point of Order, bordering on personal explanation on the quality of innoson vehicles that they are durable and should be patronized by the National Assembly"  Senator Utazi said that as a committed and patriotic Nigerian, he  condemns unequivocally the negative publicity against the vehicles produced by Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Company Limited, because he is convinced for a fact, that such claims were false, misleading, mischievous, reprehensible and against the giant stri

Suspended Acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has been released from detention. Though details of his release were not clear as at press time, sources said he was released Wednesday evening. The embattled Anti-graft boss has been undergoing interrogation by a presidential investigation committee headed by Justice Ayo Salami following a petition against him by the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. Following from that, he has also been detained for the period the interrogation has lasted at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID.

Some of Nigeria’s strategic partners in the anti-corruption battle have taken more than a passing interest in the ongoing probe into activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under suspended acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu. Key countries – some of them having mutual legal assistance treaties with the country – are monitoring the process of the investigation, it was learnt at the weekend. They include the United States (U.S.), the United Kingdom (UK), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), France and Switzerland. For one week, Magu has been detained. He was accosted on the road in Abuja and dragged to appear before the Justice Isa Ayo Salami Presidential Investigation Panel, which is probing allegations levelled against him by Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami. On Sunday, he denied the claim that he failed to account for the interest in the N550 billion recovered fund kept in CBN’s custody. In a statement by his lawyer Wahab Shittu,

A total of 1,773 contractors were allegedly paid N70.495 billion by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as mobilization fees without resorting to the site between 2008 and 2012. This was revealed as the House of Representatives at the weekend kicked-off its investigation into the N70.495 billion allegedly paid by the commission to the contractors. Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Honourable Wole Oke, who presided over the investigative hearing into the audit queries from the Auditor-General for the Federation (oAuGF) for the period under review, underscored the need for the NDDC acting managing director, Professor Pondei Kemerbrandikumo, to provide details of the projects and list of all defaulting contractors. The commission’s boss is also to come along with a statement of accounts showing the recovered funds as alluded to by its acting director of internal audit, Mr Itu Eno Ubi, who said only the sum of N19 billion is yet to be recovered from the contractors. A

By Kamen Chuks   Today at the plenary, the Senator representing the good people of Anambra South Senatorial District , Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah called the attention of the Senate leadership to the unwieldy number of road blocks and  check points by police Army and other security agencies  on the Lagos to Onitsha Expressway  especially from Ijebu Ode  down to Onitsha axis Today, I came under Order 43 of the Senate Rules to raise a complaint about the  increasingly worrisome number of roadblocks/checkpoints mounted by the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Army and other paramilitary security agencies between Ijebu Ode and Onitsha head bridge....He said He went on to emphasize  that the alarming number  of checkpoints( the highest in  the country)  spanning over 136 roadblocks between Ijebu Ode and Onitsha head bridge appears to have outlived its usefulness, in terms of curbing security breaches as they now serve as conduit pipes for extortion and intimidation of commuters especially

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu has been invited before a panel probing the activities of the agency. The panel is said to be sitting at the Banquet Hall wing of the Presidential Villa. Magu was stopped in traffic while moving out of the Wuse II Annex of the EFCC in Abuja and the invitation was extended to him. Although Magu was on his way to the Force Headquarters, he pleaded with an officer from FCID who met with him to honour the scheduled appointment. A source said: “Both Magu and Jacobs are now in an office in the Banquet Wing of the Vila. “He has not been arrested by any of the security agencies. We are awaiting further development. ” But he was told the invitation by the panel was more important. At about 1.35pm, Magu arrived at the Villa where he was ushered into the wing. As at Press time, Magu has been joined at the Villa by his lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs.

The Imo State government yesterday made public of its findings in the payroll system regarding pension fraud which involved eight persons said to be receiving N330 million annually as a pension. The governor, Hope Uzodinma, disclosed this in Owerri, after meeting with the leadership of the state chapters of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, led by Josiah Ugochukwu, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu and Trade Union Congress, TUC, at the Government House in Owerri. The names mentioned were as follows; Ajokubi H. A, (N65, 685, 491. 00) Njoku Damian (N 5,042,439.58) , Obasi Canice (N 3, 460, 366.64), Anyanwu F. N (No, 150, 336. 00), Emenalo Theresa (N 3,058, 592.00), John Sunday (N 2,320624. 00) Ajaegbo E. O (N2, 298,910.34) and Ekedere Eunice (N 32,490, 016. 00). The governor said it also discovered that over one thousand pensioners who retired in 1976 were still receiving a pension, just as he pointed out that pensioners in the verified database have all been paid

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday kicked against the reopening of schools by the Federal Government due to the COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the country. Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU National President, spoke with the with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun. According to him, the Federal Government needed to address the challenges of education sector before it can talk of reopening schools. Ogunyemi urged the Federal Government to provide ideal environment and should take the lead by meeting the conditions spelt out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) before reopening schools. “The Federal Government must lead and show the ways by meeting the conditions for reopening of schools before any school can be allowed to open, because COVID-19 pandemic is a health challenge. “When it comes to public health, it is something that should not be left in the hands of individual, but the Federal Government must take the lead,’’ he said. The ASUU pres