Author: darelasisi@gmail.com
The Federal Government has scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday (today) morning in response to a planned nationwide protest slated for August 1. This comes after President Bola Tinubu pleaded with the organisers to shelve the protests and give his administration more time to execute people-oriented programmes. According to a circular obtained by The PUNCH, sources with knowledge of the meeting indicated that all the ministers, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume and the Special Advisers to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman; Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga and former Minister of Youth and…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asserted that former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has assumed the role of embittered loser and spoiler over his recent comment on Nigeria’s economy since the ruling party took power in 2015. Naija News reported that Peter Obi raised concern over the lingering economic crisis in Nigeria, recalling that Nigeria had the biggest economy in Africa as of 2014. Taking to his official account on X on Monday, Peter Obi said the country’s economy soon began to drop in 2015. In his message, Obi drew attention to the stark difference between Nigeria’s economic…
The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has responded to the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over the threat of ₦ 5 billion defamation suit. Naija News reported that Peter Obi issued Onanuga a 72-hour ultimatum to apologise and pay ₦5 billion damages to him over defamation and libel or face legal action. The demand follows Onanuga’s wild allegation, linking Peter Obi to the planned mass protest scheduled for August. Recall that the Presidential Spokesperson had on July 20, 2024, in a post via his X handle, said, “Peter Ob’s supporters are the…
The United Nations (UN) department of safety and security has warned that the planned protest in Nigeria might be hijacked by groups with ulterior motives. According to reports making the rounds on social media, various Nigerian groups are planning a nationwide protest from August 1 to 10, dubbed “10 days of rage,” to address the country’s soaring cost of living and economic hardship. However, in a threat and risk assessment, the UN expressed concerns about the possibility of violence, citing past instances where similar protests in Nigeria escalated. “Recall that in the 13–16 February 2023 interval, tensions generated by the…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Tuesday, raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), which measures interest rates by 50 basis points, from 26.25% to 26.75% amid soaring inflation and skyrocketing food prices. The Governor of the apex bank, Olayemi Cardoso, announced this after the apex bank’s 296th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja. The MPC had maintained a hawkish stance to tame inflation since it resumed meeting this year and thus far, it has hiked rate by more than 500 points. The rate was raised to 26.25 per cent in May. However, with inflation moving to 34.19 per…
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned amid intense scrutiny over security lapses related to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Naija News reports that the move comes as lawmakers and an internal government watchdog investigate the agency’s handling of Trump’s protection during a rally in Pennsylvania where a gunman came close to killing him. Cheatle’s resignation follows bipartisan calls for her to step down and Republican lawmakers’ push for her impeachment. Her appearance before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, where she refused to answer many questions, further fueled lawmakers’ anger. Cheatle acknowledged “significant” and…
No fewer than two first-year female students of Tai Solarin University of Education in Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, were allegedly raped by suspected robbers on Monday. According to PUNCH around 12:30 am, suspected armed robbers invaded the students’ apartments, forcibly taking the survivors’ personal belongings. A source at the school, requesting anonymity for fear of victimisation, disclosed that the suspects, armed with guns, forced the students to surrender their phones and other belongings before leading them to an uncompleted building where they took turns raping them. The spokesperson for the State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident to our…
Nigerian billionaire Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, founder of Adeleke University, has promised automatic employment to first-class engineering graduates from the institution. tThe billionaire made the announcement during the university’s 10th undergraduate and 6th postgraduate convocation ceremony Dr. Adeleke, who is also the chairman of Pacific Energy Company, stated that these top graduates are invited to serve at Pacific Energy’s plants in Ondo or Ogun State during their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. Additionally, Dr. Adeleke assured that these graduates would be offered jobs at the company upon completing their service year. He said, “Try as much as possible to get…
President Bola Tinubu has called on young Nigerians to refrain from participating in planned protests against the Federal Government’s economic reforms. Naija News reports that some Nigerians, particularly the youth, have planned a nationwide protest from August 1st to 10th to draw the government’s attention to the prevailing hardship in the country. Speaking in Abuja at the National Council of Traditional Rulers meeting, Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, cautioned against allowing economic hardship to be exploited by individuals with ulterior motives to incite protests. He emphasized the need for patience and commitment…
The Presidency has slammed the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, over his comment regarding statistics on Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Naija News reported that the former Governor of Anambra State raised concern over the lingering economic crisis in Nigeria, recalling that Nigeria had the biggest economy in Africa as of 2014. Taking to his official account on X on Monday, Peter Obi, said the country’s economy soon began to drop in 2015. In his message, Obi drew attention to the stark difference between Nigeria’s economic achievements during its early post-democracy years and its…