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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the Federal Government to announce the total removal of petroleum subsidy and under-recovery through a policy statement. The party gave the advice in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan on Tuesday in Abuja. Ologbondiyan described Monday’s declaration by the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari, that there would be no more subsidy and under-recovery as dramatic. The party demanded for a forensic audit of 60 million litres of petrol that NNPC claimed it was importing under its former Group Managing Director,…

An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Monday Sentenced Nollywood star, Funke Akindele, and her husband, Abdul Rasheed Bello, to 14 days community service each for violating social distancing regulation of Lagos State. The couple had admitted guilt before Chief Magistrate Yewande Aje-Afunwa during an arraignment on Monday. Aje-Afunwa also imposed a fine of N100,000 on each of them and ordered that each of them should be in isolation for 14 days. The chief magistrate had stood down the case after the couple pleaded guilty. She imposed the sentence when proceedings resumed more than an hour later. Aje-Afunwa while sentencing described…

Lagos State Government has explained that the flood relief package being distributed is for only the indigent and vulnerable. Mr Gbenga Omotoso, Commissioner for Information & Strategy, made the clarification in a statement on Monday. He, however, regretted that in the past few days, social media have been “awash with biased opinions about the welfare package initiative.” Omotoso states that: “The welfare package was one of the various decisions taken by the Lagos State Executive Council to ease the discomfort thrust on Lagosians by the lockdown announced by the Federal Government, especially on those who earn daily income. It has…

By Kazeem Qudus, IBADAN Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has now tested negative for Covid-19. He disclosed this via his twitter handle @seyiamakinde late Sunday night, saying the second test returned negative. The governor also announced that he would resume work today, thanking Prof Temitope Alonge, who acted in his stead as head of Oyo Covid-19 Task Force while in isolation. “I am deeply moved by your prayers and support throughout this period. I am so thankful. This evening, I received my second negative test result for COVID-19. I especially thank Prof Temitope Alonge, who acted in my stead…

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the withdrawal of 150 million dollars from the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Stabilization Fund to support the June 2020 FAAC disbursement. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed disclosed this during a news conference on the fiscal stimulus measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and oil prices fiscal shock in Abuja on Monday. Ahmed said that the fund was also to address these emerging fiscal risks that the pandemic had caused. She noted that the Stabilization Fund was created for such emergencies and was to be utilized for this…

The Federal Government has provided N102.5 billion in resources for direct interventions in the country’s healthcare sector, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, has said. Ahmed made this known at a news conference on fiscal stimulus measures in response to COVID-19 pandemic and oil prices fiscal shock in Abuja on Monday. She explained that of this sum, N6.5 billion had already been made available to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for critical expenditure. She stated that the Federal Government remained committed to supporting the states in these difficult times, particularly those states that were…

Bauchi State government says it is tracing 305 contacts of the index case and others reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in the state. Alh. Baba Tela, Deputy Governor of the state who is also the Chairman of the State Task Force Committee on COVID-19, made this known in Bauchi on Monday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Bauchi state has six cases of Coronavirus victims confirmed by NCDC. Tela said all the 305 contacts had been located and their samples had been taken to Abuja for evaluation. “We have been tracing all the…

The FCT Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has inaugurated a seven-man sensitization and monitoring committee on the coronavirus pandemic. Comrade Ochiaka Ugwu, Secretary of Council, in a statement in Abuja on Monday disclosed that the committee was set up by the Council Chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbeche. Ugwu listed members of the committee as Patrick Osadebamwen, the council’s Vice-Chairman and Team Lead, Benjamin Ubiri, Titi Oladimehin, Aisha Ali, Ruth Tene, Martins Odeh, and Taiwo Olalere. “Some of the terms of reference of the committee include monitoring the activities and safety of media organizations and practitioners in the FCT.…

Kaduna State Government has threatened to review the ongoing lockdown, by closing the two-day window provided for residents to re-stock food supplies, if they continue flouting the quarantine law. The Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe who gave the warning on Monday in a statement said that Government has ordered security agents to deal decisively with violators henceforth. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the state government had reviewed the 24-hour lockdown on April 1, by giving a two-day window of Tuesday and Wednesday every week, to enable residents to buy food and other essential commodities. The statement was issued…

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja Following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Government has provided N102.5 billion in resources as a stimulus to be made available for direct interventions in the healthcare sector across the country. Of this amount, N6.5 billion has already been made available to the Nigerian Center for Disease Control, NCDC for critical expenditure. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a press conference on the establishment of a-N500 Billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund. She said the Federal Government remains committed to supporting the States…