Author: Safiu Kehinde

Safiu Kehinde  The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), has warned over the possibility of Sub-Saharan African countries plunging into debt crisis due to rising debt profile. This was disclosed in a report released on how debt crisis is jeopardising progress aimed at ending AIDS in Sub-Saharan African countries. According to UNAIDS, Sub-Saharan African countries account for a significant majority of people living with HIV globally – 25.9 million people of the nearly 40 million total. “If debt payments and stifled budgets are unaddressed in the next three to five years, countries will be “under-resourced to fund their HIV…

Safiu Kehinde  The Presidential Committee on Implementation of Livestock Reforms, has recommended open grazing and ranching as the means of tackling Farmers-Herders Clash in Nigeria The committee led by former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Attahiru Jega, proposed that a combination of ranching and open grazing could be the most viable solution to the farmer-herder crisis in Nigeria. Jega made this known on Thursday, after the 23-member committee submitted a report to President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja. Briefing State House correspondents, Jega said the committee, which was inaugurated on July 9, had been able to…

Safiu Kehinde  Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has, on Thursday, hinted Tinubu’s plan to create a new ministry of livestock. Onanuga made this disclosure in a post on his X handle following the submission of report on livestock to the President by former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Atahiru Jega, and his committee. The president’s aid in the post titled ‘Ministry of Livestock loading’ confirmed the submission of the Jega-led committee report to Tinubu. “Ministry of Livestock loading: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (right), receiving the report of the presidential committee on implementation…

Safiu Kehinde  A political advocacy group, Campaign for Democracy, has called for the removal of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, over failure to poor handling of Yahaya Bello’s case. The group made this call in a statement issued by its President, Ifeanyi Odilli, on Thursday. As contained in the statement made available to NPO Reports, Odili accused the EFCC boss of lacking capacity in handling his office following the detention saga between the Anti-graft agency and former Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, who was placed on watchlist over alleged money laundering. In a twist of…

Safiu Kehinde The Federal Government has strengthened partnership ties with multinational beverage manufacturing company, Coca-Cola, which announced fresh $1 Billion investment deal in Nigeria. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the statement, the company’s global leadership team made the announcement during a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday. The team led by Coca-Cola’s President and Chief Financial Officer, John Murphy, and the Chairman of Nigerian Bottling Company, Ambassador Segun Apata, announced plans to invest $1 billion in Nigeria over the next five years.…

Agency Report Yiaga Africa, an election monitoring group, says it has deployed 325 trained and accredited observers to monitor Saturday’s governorship election in Edo. Dr Aisha Abdullahi, Chairperson of the 2024 Edo Election Mission for Yiaga Africa, said this at a pre-election news conference on Thursday in Benin. She said the observers comprised stationary and roving teams, adding that 300 of them would be stationed at randomly selected sample of polling units across the 18 local government areas, while 25 others would move around. Abdullahi said the deployment would be done using the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT)…

Agency Report Edo Government has declared Friday, Sept. 20, a work-free day to enable workers and others travel to their voting areas ahead of the Saturday’s governorship election in the state. A statement by Joseph Eboigbe, Secretary to the Edo State Government (SSG), reassured that security measures had been provided to ensure a free, fair, and credible election. According to Eboigbe, it’s is hereby announced for the information of the general public that the Edo State Government has declared Friday, September 20, a work-free day. “This is to enable workers and other electorates travel to their voting areas ahead of…

Safiu Kehinde A prosecution witness, Mercy Osondu, has, on Thursday, narrated  how her step mother, Chinyere Osondu allegedly inserted a stick into her six-year-old niece’s private part to an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court. While being led in evidence by the State Counsel, Ms Inumidun Solarin, the witness alleged that Chinyere inserted the stick into the six-year girl’s private part because she urinated on the bed. The defendant, Chinyere, is standing trial on a four-count charge bordering on sexual assault and grievous harm. Addressing the court, Mercy Osondu recalled how she discovered the ugly incident when she traveled…

Agency Report Many people displaced by Alau Dam flood in Maiduguri have started leaving camps for their respective homes as water receded in many areas of the city. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all those leaving camps are provided with two weeks food ration and N10,000 each by the State Government which has embarked on distribution of cash and food items in the 32 camps across Maiduguri. In his maiden briefing at the Flood Disaster Situation Room, the Borno Commissioner for  Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, said over 30,000 households with a population of over…

Safiu Kehinde Nigerian Police Force has tasked Journalists to factcheck information amid concern over the spread of fake news ahead of the 2024 Edo Governorship election. Addressing newsmen in a Press Briefing at Edo on Thursday, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Frank Mba, stressed on the need to factcheck information during the election. While reflecting on past election experience, Mba appealed to journalist to checkmate the activities of fake news peddlers. “We appeal to you to help us in checkmating the activities of those who might be spread fake news during this election. “We have seen that in the…