CASH SCARCITY PERSISTS ACROSS NIGERIA AS BANKS IGNORE CBN’S ORDER Days after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued an ultimatum mandating banks to ensure cash availability at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and banking halls, many Nigerians still struggle to access cash. The cash scarcity has pushed Point of Sale (PoS) operators to seek alternative sources of cash, such as …

WAIT FOR 2031 – AKUME TELLS ATIKU, NORTHERN BIGWIGS TO SHELVE 2027 AMBITION The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has urged the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and other northern political bigwigs to shelve the ambition of contesting for the 2027 presidency and wait till 2031.Naija News reports that Akume, who spoke on Sunday while …

FCT POLICE RECOVERS TODDLER TWO MONTHS AFTER KIDNAP FROM PH SCHOOL The police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have recovered a toddler stolen from his school in Port Harcourt. The Commissioner of Police in charge of the territory, CP Olatunji Disu, who handed the child over to his mother today, noted that the baby’s whereabouts were traced using technology. …

OUSTED SYRIAN PRESIDENT FLED TO RUSSIA, GRANTED ASYLUM Deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow, Russian state media agencies reported, citing sources within the Kremlin. Reports also said that Assad and his family have been granted asylum by Russia. However, the report has not been independently verified. Assad was toppled earlier on Sunday following the …

DEFEAT OF RULING PARTY IN GHANA: INEC CHAIRMAN MOCKS NIGERIAN POLITICIANS, SAYS GHANIANS HARDLY CHANGE PARTY The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has expressed his fascination for a political tradition in Ghana where politicians hardly defect to another party every general election — a practice that is common in Nigeria. Yakubu also commended Ghana’s …

IT’S UNLAWFUL FOR NUC TO CLOSE PRIVATE UNIVERSITY – APPEAL COURT The Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, has dismissed an appeal filed by the National Universities Commission and its former Executive Secretary, Peter Okebukola, challenging the judgment of the Federal High Court Enugu Division, which annulled the closure of a private university, Richmond Open University, Arochukwu, Abia State, by the …

SOUTHEAST APC SUFFERS AS HOPE UZODINMA, BENJAMIN KALU BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY The current face-off between the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma and Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu took a fresh twist on Saturday over appointments in the newly created South East Development Commission (SEDC). President Bola Tinubu’s decision to reshuffle his list of nominees within 24 hours of …

WHY MY FATHER MARRIED 30 WIVES, SIRED 108 CHILDREN – EBONYI GOVERNOR Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has revealed that his father, Ezekiel Nwifuru Nwankpu, married over 30 wives due to the intimidation and humiliation he suffered in his community. Nwankpu originally married over 30 wives, but some were delisted from the family for not bearing children, leaving 19 wives. …

HOUSE OF REPS TELL TINUBU TO CUT DOWN MINISTERS TO 37 The House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Review is currently evaluating a proposal aimed at amending the 1999 Constitution to restrict the number of ministers appointed by the president to 37.This proposal, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 …

REBELS TOPPLE SYRIAN PRESIDENT Syrian rebels declared they had ousted President Bashar al-Assad after seizing control of Damascus on Sunday, forcing him to flee and ending his family’s decades of autocratic rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East. The Islamist rebels also dealt a major blow to the influence of …

FORMER PRESIDENT, JOHN MAHAMA, WINS GHANAIAN ELECTION Ghana’s former President John Dramani Mahama has won the country’s presidential election after his main opponent, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat. “The people of Ghana have spoken, the people have voted for change at this time and we respect it with all humility,” Bawumia said in a news conference on Sunday. The …

CHINASA UNAEGBUNAM APPOINTED TO HAGUE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR AVIATION The Hague Court of Arbitration for Aviation (HCAA) has appointed Chinasa Unaegbunam, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as a member of its advisory board. This was disclosed on Friday, December 6, in a statement by Tunde Moshood, spokesperson for Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development. Moshood described …

REAL REASONS POLICE SEALED EMIR OF KANO’S PALACE REVEALED MORE facts have emerged on reasons behind the sealing off of the entrance gate leading to the palace of the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, on Friday Though the Nigeria Police were yet to speak on the matter, a reliable source disclosed that the action carried out by law enforcement …

NO EVIDENCE OF NEW COVID VARIANT IN NIGERIA, SAYS HEALTH MINISTRY The federal ministry of health says there is no evidence of new COVID variant XEC in Nigeria. The variant, first reported in Australia, has spread to 29 countries, raising alarms over its heightened virulence. In a statement on Saturday, Alabi Balogun, deputy director of information and public relations at …

FG DEDUCTS ₦‎700B FROM FEDERATION ACCOUNT FOR FREE METER DISTRIBUTION The Federal Government has set aside N700bn from the federation account for the implementation of the distribution of free electricity meters under the Presidential Metering Initiative, according to the Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communications and Media, Bolaji Tunji. In a chat with The PUNCH on …