Author: News Editor

Naira on Thursday lost against the dollar at the Investors and Exporters window, exchanging N702.19 to the dollar. The local currency depreciated by 5.75 per cent when compared with N664.04 for which it exchanged for the dollar on Wednesday. The open indicative rate stood at N658.50 to the dollar on Thursday. An exchange rate of N791 to the dollar was the highest rate recorded within the day’s trading before it settled at N702.19. The Naira sold for as low as 461 to the dollar within the day’s trading. A total of 70.72 million dollars was traded at the official Investors…

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The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has secured the conviction of 42 human traffickers this year, according to its Director-General, NAPTIP, Mrs Fatima Waziri-Azi. The NAPTIP boss disclosed this at an on-going workshop organised for media practitioners in Lagos on Thursday. She said that those convicted were traffickers “diligently prosecuted from January to June 14, 2023”. Waziri-Azi was represented by Mr Arinze Orakwe, the Director in charge of Training and Manpower Development. She warned human trafficking criminals to turn a new leaf as the agency would soon catch up with them. “The human trafficking industry…

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The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmood has tendered documents before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in respect of the petition of Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The documents were tendered on Thursday through Mrs Morenikeji Tairu, Deputy Director, Certification and Complaints, Legal Drafting and Clearance Department of the commission. They include Form EC9 of President Bola Tinubu, who is the second respondent in the petition. The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that Form EC9 is an affidavit in support of particulars of persons seeking election to the office…

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Mr Mike Akpara, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Abia on Finance, has described the claim by former Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of leaving N24 bilion in the state government coffers as false. Akpara made this known on Thursday during a press conference at the Government House, Umuahia. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that one Ikechukwu Iroha, a former aide of Ikpeazu, had made a Facebook post that several billions of naira were allegedly left behind for the Gov. Alex Otti led-administration by the former governor. The special adviser said that neither Ikpeazu nor his spokespersons had refuted…

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The Government of Italy invested more than 14 million U.S. dollars in the ECOWAS region to support a better understanding of risk disaster and sustainable development. The Ambassador of Italy to Nigeria, Mr Stefano De Leo, said this at the inauguration of the ECOWAS Disaster Operation Centre in Abuja on Thursday. De Leo said the investment was through the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). “The Government of Italy is particularly proud of the cooperation in this sector with ECOWAS, United Nations Office for Disaster and Risk Reduction, International Center for Environmental Monitoring, and the Federal Republic of…

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The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has approved $1 billion to fight against the Tuberculosis (TB), malaria and HIV in Nigeria in the next three years. Mr Willie Bassey, Director Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja. Bassey said Dr Jean-Thomas Nouboussi, the Country Portfolio Manager in Nigeria, said this when Global Fund team, led by Mr Ayo Ipinmoye, Acting Chairman of Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism for Nigeria, visited SGF Sen. George Akume in his office. “The Global Fund has approved…

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The Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Thursday, disqualified a witness,, Erastus Ofoma, subpoenaed by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP) from testifying against Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat. The Chairman of the three-man tribunal committee, Justice Arum Igyen-Ashom ordered Ofoma to step down as he could not testify in the matter. The tribunal held that the witness’ statement on oath was uploaded out of time and outside the 21 days stipulated under the Electoral Act. The tribunal ruled on the matter after taking submissions from counsels representing parties in the petition. Other members…

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Dr Ruth Bello, the Executive Director, Nasarawa State AIDS Control Agency (SACA) has said that the prevalence rate of HIV in Nasarawa is two per cent. Bello said this during a tour of Lafia by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in Lafia on Thursday. She scored the state’s HIV response high in the area of prevention and treatment, saying “we have about 80,000 persons now identified with HIV and currently under treatment in the state. “We also have a law against discrimination and stigma in the state, which has gone a long way in encouraging marriages…

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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja The African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE), under development by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Abuja, Nigeria, has received the award for the Best Health Deal in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. The award, presented at the 15th Annual EMEA Finance Achievement and Project Awards Charity Dinner in London on 7th June, recognises the AMCE as the most significant health-related transaction across the EMEA region. The EMEA Finance Achievement Awards recognize the achievements of the best banks and the most impactful deals and transactions across Europe, the Middle East and Africa Region.…

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The Comptroller of Correctional Service in Kwara, Salami Abdulraheem, on Thursday decorated no fewer than 367 officers who were recently elevated to higher ranks. Speaking with journalists after the decoration exercise in Ilorin, Abdulraheem commended the Comptroller General (C-G) of the Service for working assiduously to improve the welfare of personnel of the Service. He charged the newly promoted officers to consider their elevation as additional call to duty and demand for increase in service delivery to their fatherland. Abdulraheem urged them to demonstrate more competence and commitment to justify their new ranks and offices. He implored the newly promoted…

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