Author: darelasisi@gmail.com

No fewer than 140 young and talented people from eight states of the Niger Delta have graduated from the special Shell LiveWIRE Nigeria entrepreneurial training programme, which provides business and financial support to enable them to establish small and medium scale businesses. Drawn from Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, Edo, Imo, and Rivers states, the beneficiaries, 20 of whom are under the Oporoma Special LiveWIRE Nigeria category in Bayelsa State, got N56 million grants from The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) Joint Venture at the recent graduation ceremony in Port Harcourt. SPDC’s General Manager External…

ABUJA – The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has restated the need for States in the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to be self-sustaining and economically viable, promising that the Bank will support projects and programmes that will help them realise this desire. Mr. Emefiele stated this in Abuja on Monday, February 17, 2020, when he led a team from the CBN and three major dairy companies – FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Nestle Nigeria Plc and L& Z – on a courtesy call on the Minister of the FCT, Alhaji Muhammad Musa Bello. The…

Human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), has said that the Presidency has no power to stop any peaceful protest by aggrieved Nigerians who are calling for the replacement of the service chiefs. Mr Falana, while responding to a statement credited to a presidential spokesperson, Mr Garba Shehu, on Sunday, said Nigerians have the fundamental right to demonstrate for or against the Federal Government. The senior lawyer quoted Mr Shehu: “The Presidency wishes to caution a section of the political class against misleading the public and inciting protests against the heads of military institutions. “This has become necessary in view…

Center for Liberty (CFL), a civil society organisation has advocated for the conduct of “general elections in one day,” assuring that it would significantly curb the incidents of rigging, violence and drastically reduce costs. CFL is also asking the National Assembly to immediately amend the Electoral Act to accommodate “full biometrics for accreditation and Electronic Collation of Results,” adding that there is no alternative to electoral reforms. In a statement signed by its Co-conveners, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, Deji Adeyanju and Raphael Adebayo, the group announced the commencement of a people-driven Electoral Reform Advocacy (ERA) sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for…

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), says it will support any candidate who has a strong philosophy, ideology and feasible Nigerian agenda for the upcoming elections in 2023. BMO Chairman, Mr Niyi Akinsiju, said this on Monday, while fielding questions at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Forum in Abuja. Akinsiju said that the decision to support the candidate or the party, would be based on the organisation’s collective conviction. He said the organisation was solidly behind Buhari today because it bought into his philosophy and knew he would impact Nigeria. He, however, reiterated that the group was not a political…

By Harry Awurumibe, Head, Abuja Bureau The Central Business District (CBD) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Monday, witnessed some pockets of protests with the security agencies seen at strategic places especially near the Three Arms Zone, Abuja. Prompt News can confirm that protesters carrying placards with various inscriptions were seen on top of Articulated Vehicles and Haice buses chanting solidarity songs in favour of those they are supporting. Some of the placards read: Imo State will Rise Again; Imo State is Peaceful and yet another read: Imo is in good hands even as some young boys were seen…

Sen. Rukayat Saraki, the Minister of State for Transportation, has called on Nigerian youths to participate actively in politics. According to the University of Ilorin Bulletin issued on Monday, Saraki made the call while speaking at the 47th Annual Personality Lecture organised by the University of Ilorin’s chapter of the Postgraduate Students Association (POGSASS). In her lecture, titled: “The quest for youth engagement, involvement and inclusion in Nigerian politics”, Saraki said youth participation would promote good governance and its attendant all-round transformation at all levels of government. Saraki, who is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the Federal…

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja The Adoration Ministry, Enugu has denied media reports (Not Prompt News Online) credited to its Spiritual Director, Rev Father Ejike Mbaka to the effect that the newly sworn in Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Diri Duoye will stay only two months in office. In a statement made available to Prompt News Online in Abuja on Monday, Spokesman of the Ministry, Barr Ike Maximus Ugwoke said Fr Mbaka never made any prophecy regarding the governorship situation in Bayelsa state. Full text of the statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to report in a section of the…

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba has stated that the Center for Management Development (CMD) will be given a facelift to become a world class center of excellence. According to a statement by Director Press in the ministry, Mrs Victoria Agba-Attah, the minister stated this at the weekend the during a familiarisation visit of the CMD, centres in Abuja and Lagos , a parastatal under his Ministry. Reacting to the level of infrastructural decay in the CMD, the Agba said, ” I have seen the infrastructure and I am not…

Mr Tiamiyu Oladele, Acting Director, Department of Forestry, Federal Ministry of Environment has announced plans by the Federal Government to plant 35 million tree seedlings to accelerate afforestation in the country. Oladele made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja. He said that President Muhammad Buhari had promised to plant 35 million trees and there were ongoing viable programmes to that effect. Oladele explained that the department has adopted practical measures to achieve planting at least 30 million tree seedlings this year. “We are expecting 30 million seedlings to be planted…