NIGERIAN NOTCH

The Inter-Parliamentary Union(IPU) has named President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio as a member of the Preparatory Committee for the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament 2025. A statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Senate President, Jackson Udom, said that Akpabio’s nomination was contained in a letter signed by the General Secretary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Martin Chungong and addressed to the Senate President. The nomination letter reads: "I wish to congratulate you upon your nomination as a member of the Preparatory Committee for the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (2025) and to invite you to a first meeting of the Preparatory Committee at IPU Headquarters in Geneva on 16-17 May 2024. "As you are aware, every five years since 2000, the Inter-Parliamentary Union has convened a World  Conference of Speakers of Parliament. The Conferences are organized in close cooperation with the United Nation

The CEO of cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, Richard Teng, yesterday said that the company is working very closely with Nigerian authorities following the detention of the company’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance. A Nigerian court has adjourned until May 2 a case against the executive, Tigran Gambaryan, and another Binance official, who are accused of laundering more than $35 million, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on April 8. “What I can say is we are working very closely with the Nigerian authorities to try to resolve the matter,” CEO Richard Teng said, while speaking about Gambaryan’s case at a crypto conference in Dubai. The other executive Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan who is a regional manager for Africa, fled Nigeria last month. Anjarwalla and Gambaryan flew to Nigeria following the country’s decision to ban several cryptocurrency trading websites and were detained on arrival on February 26 by EFCC. In addition to the case brough

The Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, has secured a loan of $700million from Citibank backed by the United Kingdom Export Finance, UKEF,   an export credit agency, to rehabilitate the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports, Lagos. The NPA has also opened a discussion with another funding agency to secure financing for upgrading of the Eastern Ports including Calabar, Warri,   Onne and Rivers Ports as well as the reconstruction of Escravos breakwater facility. Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday during the signing of mandate letter with Citibank Nigeria, Managing Director of the NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, said the letter will be sent to Debt Management Office, DMO, for final review and approval. He said the funds are ready and the reconstruction of the Lagos Ports will start soonest even as the NPA perfects plans to sign another mandate letter for the upgrading of the Eastern Ports in about a month. He stated: “In the last two years, NPA has realised the need for us to rehabilitate and recon

….As Oyo govt justifies demolition of Abiola-Onitiri’s residence Defence Headquarters, DHQ, yesterday, described as laughable recent agitation for Yoruba Nation by some elements in the South West. The DHQ also raised alarm that terrorists and their sympathisers were planning to blackmail the military, following its onslaught on insurgents. Recall that some Yoruba Nation agitators, last Saturday, dressed in military camouflage invaded the Oyo State secretariat and attempted to take over the State House of Assembly. The agitators engaged the security operatives but were subdued, leading to the arrest of 29 suspects. Speaking at a briefing, in Abuja yesterday, the Director, of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba said the agitation has further pointed out how the insecurity ravaging many parts of the country is self-inflicted. His words: “The agitation of IPOB in the South East has proven to be for self-aggrandizement. Then, the call for a Yoruba Nation is laughable

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, said yesterday that the Federal Government would pin down Ways and Means to deal with the problem of too much liquidity in the system Fielding questions from journalists after a meeting with investors at the ongoing Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington DC, yesterday, he said that the fiscal and monetary authorities were complementing each other to bring down inflation. According to him, “We will pin down Ways and Means to alleviate the pressure of the excess money in the system. “By so doing the two authorities are working hand in hand to bring down inflation and pressure on price stability and stabilising the exchange rate, with the target of bringing down interest rate so that investors can borrow at a more affordable rate and getting the economy going in the right direction again. “We need to borrow less and focus more on domestic resource mobilisation. We want long-term re

BY RAYMOND OZOJI, Awka  The Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS), Anambra State Command has recovered a stolen Toyota Corolla.  The car which is valued at about N5 Million was snatched from where it was parked at Achalla Awka-North Local Government Area of the state and was traced to Nise in Awka-South council area where it was recovered by officers of the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service.   A statement from the State Hunter Public Relations Officer, SH Aloysius Chibuikem Nneke, confirmed that the car was stolen Wednesday, 17/4/2024 Oye market day in the morning at Achalla market in Awka North LGA.  And by afternoon of same day the car was recovered by the NHFSS, Awka North Division led by SH Nwadigwe the DHO of the division at Nise in Awka South LGA and the thief was at large then.  The statement further revealed that around 22.00 hours (10 PM) same yesterday, he was cut in Ukwulu, Dunukofia LGA, by a gallant officer, DSH Cosmos, who alerted

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has called for Parliamentary Collaboration between the Nigerian Parliament and its Serbian counterpart. Akpabio made the call during a meeting with the President of the Serbia Parliament, Ms Ana Brnabic in London, on Wednesday.  A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom said, Akpabio and the President of the Serbia Parliament, Ana Brnabic extensively discussed issues of mutual interest to both nations and how to improve parliamentary collaborations between Serbia and Nigeria. "The Meeting, which was at the request of Ms Brnabić, also discussed matters relating to the International Parliamentary Union(IPU). The two parliamentarians have also agreed to meet again soon. The Serbian lawmaker, used the meeting to formally invite Nigeria's Senate President to Serbia, on a yet to be announced date," the statement said. Senator Akpabio, was recently elected into the Executive Committee of the IPU, a role he

As the spate of violence rages in the capital city of Anambra, Awka, a terrible twist to it just happened now. With a staff of the state road regulation agency gunned down minutes ago. This is coming less than one day when someone was also gunned down at popular Aroma Junction, to be precise Wednesday evening.  An eye witness who saw the incident said it happened at the motor park, where commuters commute passengers from Awka to Nnewi. The source said the victim is an official of the Anambra Road Traffic Management Agency (ARTMA). “ The man who was killed is an ARTMA official. He stopped some people who were driving a Toyota Sienna vehicle with tinted glasses, and the people shot him and drove off. There have been cult related killings in Awka since Easter, but it was not clear if Wednesday and Thursday morning incident was related to cultism. The Anambra State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga was yet to react to the killing as at the time of fill

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, said yesterday that the apex bank is not defending the Naira with the nation’s foreign reserves. He was speaking against the backdrop of the recent decline in Nigeria’s foreign reserves corresponding with massive appreciation of the Naira in the foreign exchange market (forex), fueling speculations that the apex bank pumped forex into the market to dwarf demand pressure and shore up the value of the local currency. Speaking at the on-going Spring Meetings of the IMF the World Bank, Cardoso said that his team at the apex bank is determined to nurse a foreign exchange market ruled by the principle of willing buyers-willing seller. He also said that Ways and Means (federal government borrowings from CBN) is no longer an issue, particularly after the fiscal authorities securitised the outstanding. His words, “Defending the Naira, from every indication is an elephant in some rooms. I will make this as clear

Fresh facts have emerged that the embattled cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky who was sentenced to a six-month jail term for abusing the Naira has been transferred from the Ikoyi Correctional Center to the Kirikiri Prison by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS). This is contrary to reports that Bobrisky is still being held at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre. A very reliable source who is an official of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) who craved anonymity said that the popular cross-dresser is presently held at the Kirikiri Prison and was discreetly transferred since last weekend to Kirikiri. He stated, “It is procedural that he is moved to Kirikiri since it is an expansive prison compared to what we have here.” He added that due to security reasons, Okuneye was quietly moved to the facility where he will serve his term. It would be recalled that Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced the cross-dresser to six mo