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... As IGP Re-echoes Directive To Mop Up Arms         . The suspects and the recovered arms The Nigeria Police Force says its men have arrested five suspects involved in trans-border gun running. The suspects are Adamu Noma, Matthew Audu, Andrew Poyi, Aminu Sani, and Aminu Talha were apprehended by the operatives of the FID-IRT on the 18th of November, 2024. Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi made this known in a statement on Friday. Upon arrest and conducted search, 10 locally fabricated Ak-47 rifles, 5 Israeli Ak-47 rifles, 1 revolver pistol, 1 pump action rifle, 20 rounds of Ak-47 ammunition, and 1 welding machine for fabrication of rifles were recovered from the suspect.          .  The suspects and the recovered arms These feats, and several more recorded by police operatives across the country are indications of the steadfastness and commitment of the current police leadership to decimate and subdue criminal acti...

By Bukola Olukemi-Odele Salt has been an integral part of human existence since time immemorial. It is an important ingredient in our diets and is used by diverse populations regardless of race, age, status, religion and diversity. Salt has been an additive since ancient times due to its pivotal role in food processing and preservation.  In Nigeria, salt is used for different purposes, including expressing joy, hospitality, and acceptance at meetings and other occasions. It is also distributed as gifts and souvenirs at parties and sometimes as part of the items requested for bride price payment. Furthermore, salt is of spiritual significance as it is often used in rituals, prayers, initiations and sacrifices. In some communities, salt is believed to have medicinal properties leading to excessive consumption.  For economic reasons, salt and seasoning cubes may be used as a cheaper substitute for other natural seasonings or spices, which may be more expensive but provide better ...

Health and climate experts have identified the sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) industry as a major driver of the climate crisis, urging Nigeria to implement measures to curb their consumption in the interest of public health and the environment. The experts stated this on Friday at a webinar titled, "SSB and Climate Change: Climate Cost of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages," organised by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA). They warned that excessive sugary drinks consumption is not only a risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), but that the single-use plastics (SUPs) favoured as packaging by the SSB industry emit greenhouse gases (GHG) alongside toxic pollutants that threaten human safety and food security. To curb the problem, they advocated implementing an improved, effective and pro-health SSB Tax, the proceeds of which can be channelled towards strengthening the health sector to better cater for NCD patients. CAPPA's Executive Direc...

. Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu congratulates Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, on her unanimous re-election on Friday as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).   The renowned development economist and global finance expert made history in 2021 as the first African and first woman to lead the 164-nation-member WTO.   Her first term as the seventh Director-General of the WTO will expire on August 31, 2025, while the second term begins September 1.   The Nigerian leader in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga notes with delight that Dr Okonjo-Iweala's unanimous appointment for a second four-year term demonstrates the trust and confidence the international community places in her leadership to advance multilateral trade for sustainable global development.    Presid...

  . Operatives of the Lagos Taskforce during the operation. The Lagos State Taskforce has conducted an enforcement operation at Ikotun Bus Stop, opposite Irepodun Market along Idimu Road, where street traders and commercial buses, popularly referred to as Danfo, had caused untold traffic inconveniences to BRT buses, motorists, and pedestrians plying the roads. This was meant to restore free vehicular movement, sanity, and ensure compliance with Lagos State Traffic and Environmental Laws. The operation, led by the Chairman of the Agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, extended to Ikotun Roundabout along Ijegun Road and addressed long-standing complaints about street trading, trading on the kerb and walkways, illegal parking, and commercial vehicles obstructing traffic around the axis.    . Lagos Taskforce Chairman, CSP Adetayo Akerele The exercise, initiated in response to observations drawn through the Agency’s “See Something, Say Something” feedback mechanism, swiftly cleared the...

…Says CBT Test Holds In Two Centres . The Chairman, Oyo State Civil Service Commission, Alh. Kamoru Aderibigbe The Oyo State Government has said about 15,000 candidates will sit for its forthcoming computer based test for recruitment into different cadres in the civil service. The Chairman, Oyo State Civil Service Commission, Alh. Kamoru Aderibigbe disclosed this today in Ibadan at his office. According to him, the examination will be held from Monday, November 25, 2024- Thursday, November 28, 2024. He said approval was given by Governor Seyi Makinde for about 900 officers to be recruited into over 60 cadres across Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs in the mainstream of the Civil Service. Speaking further, the Chairman said out of 22,235 applications received by the commission, fifteen thousand were qualified to sit for the CBT. Aderibigbe said the recruitment is unprecedented in the history of Oyo State, as there has never been a time in the last two decades when such recruitm...

    Civil society members from across the world, including from the Africa Make Big Polluters Pay (MBPP), have held a People’s Plenary themed “Pay Up, Stand Up: Finance Climate Action, Not Genocide” at the COP29 United Nations climate talks which ends Friday, November 22, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan.   Speaking with one voice, they shared their pain at and condemned incidents of injustice perpetrated by the Global North, including neocolonialism, genocide, and the excessive appetite of Western civilisation for fossil fuels. They affirmed their resolve to stand together to fight for a better world.   The plenary featured climate activists from indigenous communities, women groups, labour unions, and people with disabilities, among others from both the Global South and North, who affirmed their resolve to stand together for a more equitable world.   Gathered in the Caspian Plenary Hall, just outside negotiation rooms in which world leaders failed to hammer out an ac...

  .  The Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Aliyu (right) and the House of Representatives Committee Chairman, Prince Moshood Akiolu. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has recovered assets and cash worth N105.82 billion between 2023 and 2024. The Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Aliyu, made this known Wednesday while hosting members of the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption, led by its Chairman, Prince Moshood Akiolu, who were on an oversight visit to the Commission IN Abuja. Dr. Aliyu also disclosed that the Commission received 2,038 petitions, and secured 31 convictions within the period. He stated that “the Commission received 1,187 petitions in 2023. From January to October 2024, the Commission received 851 petitions. In 2023, it secured 18 convictions, while in 2024, it secured 13 convictions. The asset/cash recovered was N76.75 billion in 2023, while in 2024, ICPC recovered N29.07 billion. The Chairman sta...

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the federal government and state authorities to demonstrate financial commitment towards reducing the risk of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases in Nigeria. The not-for-profit, in a statement following last Thursday’s celebration of the World Diabetes Day, reiterated its call for an upward review of the country’s budgetary allocation to the health sector, as well as the N10/litre excise duty on sugar sweetened beverages – a known driver of diabetes. CAPPA advised authorities to use the occasion of the day to reflect on the country’s huge burden of NCDs, including about 11.2 million Nigerians living with diabetes.  CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “Nigeria is grappling with a significant burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with 1 in 17 adults - roughly 11.2 million Nigerians – living with diabetes.  This health crisis extends beyond the health sector, affect...

. Cross section of the arrested miscreants Operatives of the Lagos State Taskforce have cleared illegal shanties and makeshift buildings along Pen Cinema to Fagba railway corridor and its environs, covering a distance of about 25 kilometres. The sting operation on Wednesday was supervised by the Chairman of the Agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, who took illegal occupants and squatters in the corridor by surprise. CSP Akerele disclosed that the action was necessary to provide residents around Fagba, Agege, and Pen Cinema railway routes a reprieve after a series of complaints were received by the State Government and the Police hierarchy concerning the activities of criminal elements residing there, who have shown a blatant disregard for the state’s environmental and sanitary laws. The Chairman further noted that the presence of squatters along the rail corridor is not only unhealthy but also hazardous. He issued a warning to the ejected squatters not to return to the rail corridor, which wa...

… Senate Committee Commends Commission's Integrity and Diligent Investigations The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu says the commission has secured 13 convictions so far from January to October 2024. He said 851 petitions were received and 243 cases were assigned within the period under review. Dr. Aliyu disclosed this while presenting the Commission's performance scorecard over the past year to the visiting Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes on Monday in Abuja. He highlighted the Commission's achievements in strengthening its capabilities in the fight against corruption and advancing policy research, despite limited budgetary resources and reliance on international donor support. While reeling out the significant recoveries of assets and cash within the period made by the Commission, Dr Aliyu said, "In 2023, the ICPC received 1,187 petitions, assigned 275 cases for investig...

A former House of Representatives member for Gboko and Tarka Federal Constituency, Hon. John Dyegh has been arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue State for allegedly violating the provisions of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Acts 2000.  Hon. Dyegh, was arraigned by the ICPC on a five-count charge of abuse of office and money laundering before Hon. Justice M. Shitu Abubakar at the Federal High Court 1 sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, under case number FHC/MKD/CR/184/2024. The charges detailed alleged corrupt practices, including Dyegh's receipt of N18,970,000 (Eighteen Million Nine Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) on May 19, 2014, intended for the construction of school facilities in Guma LGA, Benue State.  He was accused of allegedly channelling the funds through the First Bank account of Midag Limited, a company in which Dyegh has a substantial interest. This alleged action violates Section 19 of the...

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the federal government and state authorities to enforce strict monitoring and regulatory measures against illegal mining activities to prevent further avoidable tragedies across the country.  The group made this known in response to the recent collapse of an illegal mining pit located within a national game reserve spanning Gashaka Local Government Area in Taraba State and Toungo Local Government Area in Adamawa State.  The accident, which took place on Wednesday, November 6, has left about thirty (30) gold miners presumed dead in the Buffa zone of the Gashaka-Gumti National Park.  The organisation in a statement by its Media and Communication Officer, Robert Egbe expressed deep concern over the incidences of illegal mine camps and even mine collapses across the country, stating that these challenges now cast doubt on the operational effectiveness of the Mines Surveillance Task Team as well...

. President Bola Tinubu (centre) and Lieutenant General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede (second left) with other Service Chiefs. President Bola Tinubu, in Abuja, on Tuesday honoured the acting chief of army staff, Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, by promoting him to the rank of Lieutenant General during a ceremony held at the State House.   The decoration of the acting army chief was held at the President’s office.   President Tinubu commended the military for its unwavering courage, dedication, and patriotism in maintaining the nation's security.   “It is both an honour and a privilege to decorate you today," the President stated.   “This recognition reflects your commitment and service to the Nigerian military, which speaks volumes through your exemplary record."   “We recognise all that you have been doing to ensure the country is safe and stable,’’ the President said.   President Tinubu assured the military that the government would always listen to...