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The Nigerian Association of Christian Journalists (NACJ) has bestowed on Mr. Etigwe Uwa the award of ’Integrity Legal Luminary of the Year 2021' in recognition of his legal exploits and intellectual contributions to Nigeria society, describing the eminent lawyer as a man of integrity. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria bagged the award during the 9th annual integrity lecture and award themed 'Integrity is Everything', organised by the national leadership of the association at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja on Thursday. The lawyer, who was represented at the event by a retired banker and seasoned technocrat, Mr. Kalu Okpo Kalu( KOK), expressed delight…

Fire guts NPA headquarters in Lagos A section of the headquarters of the Nigerian Ports Authority was gutted by fire on Wednesday. This is coming 11 months after property worth billions of naira were destroyed after protesters set the NPA headquarters on fire during #EndSARS protest in October 2020. It was learnt that the early Wednesday fire was caused by an electrical surge. According to eyewitnesses, the fire incident affected business activities at NPA offie. General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Mr Olaseni Alakija, confirmed the incident, saying the fire only affected a wing of NPA’s headquarters. He explained, in…

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) says the south-east region will go on a one-month lockdown, if the federal government fails to bring Nnamdi Kanu, its leader, to court on October 21. On July 26, Binta Nyako, judge of the federal high court, Abuja, adjourned the trial of Kanu till October 21, owing to the failure of the federal government to produce him in court. In June, Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and extradited to Nigeria to face trial. He was remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) after he was re-arraigned before the judge. On August…

Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulkadir, the Emir of Gaya in Kano, is dead. Gaya is one of the five emirates in Kano. The deceased was the district head of Kunchi and then Minjibir before he was elevated to an Emir in 2019. Details later…

The Senate on Tuesday moved to impose life sentence for the offence of kidnapping, wrongful restraint and wrongful confinement for ransom, particularly where death results from the act. It also sought to ensure that recipients of any proceeds from kidnapping are imprisoned for up to 30 years. This followed a Bill sponsored by Senator Ibikunle Amosun (APC-Osun). The Bill which scaled second reading on the floor of the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly also proposed to give the Inspector General of Police wider powers to enable adequate policing of the crime of kidnapping. In his lead debate, Amosun said…

The authorities at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) have described as “false and inaccurate” the allegation of poor management of the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Obadiah Mailafia, by the staffers of the facility. The hospital’s management exclusively confirmed to Premium Times on Monday evening that Mr Mailafia died of coronavirus disease “due to comorbidities.” This revelation was reluctantly made by the hospital’s management, which had insisted that the confidentiality of its patients is sacrosanct. According to the hospital’s chief medical director, Bissallah Ekele, a professor, Mr Mailafia had been managed at two…

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has described as a loss, the decision by Agom Jarigbe for leaving the House for the Senate. According to Gbajabiamila, the 9th House is the most vibrant in the history of Nigeria. Jarigbe, who represented Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency in Cross River State, had moved to the Senate, after a bye-election followed by legal battles, to replace Rose Okoh, who died while representing Cross River North Senatorial District. At the opening of plenary on Tuesday, Gbajabiamila read a letter of resignation from Jarigbe. Jarigbe wrote, “I wish to formally notify you of…

President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated four persons into the board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The President’s nomination was contained in a letter read on the floor of the Senate by Senate President Ahmad Lawan on Tuesday. The nominees, according to the letter, are George Abang as secretary of the board while Kola Adeshina, Mohammed Yahaya and Lukman Mohammed, were appointed as board members. According to Mr Buhari, the nominations were in accordance with the Act establishing the EFCC. The President, therefore, urged the Senate to confirm the nominees in the “usual expeditious manner”.

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate, seeking an amendment to the recently signed Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. In the letter, President Buhari wants an amendment to the new Act to allow for the removal of the Ministers of Petroleum and Finance from the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, saying that they can continue to perform their functions without necessarily being members of the board. In the letter read on Tuesday during plenary by the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, President Buhari is also seeking for the amendment to allow the Non-Executive Members to…

The High Court of Abia State on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of the case involving the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, till October 7, 2021. The vacation judge, Justice K. C. J. Okereke, took the decision as the Federal Government of Nigeria and five other respondents in the case have yet to file their response to the suit brought before the court by court, challenging the alleged infringement on his fundamental human rights. In the suit, no HIH/FR14/2021, the respondents include the Federal Government of Nigeria (1st), Attorney General of the Federation (2nd), Chief…