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Delta State Government has reacted to mysterious deaths that have claimed at least 15 lives in the last two weeks in Ute-Okpu and Idumesa communities in Ika North East Local Government Area of the state. The Commissioner for Health, Mordi Ononye, who led a team of public health officials to the affected communities with a view to unraveling the mystery, assured the people that government will do everything possible to curb the further spread. The disease has killed persons mostly within the age brackets of 18 to 25. According to the Commissioner, the state epidemiologist dispatched officials to the communities immediately the information reached the health ministry. Ononye said Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has directed an upgrade of the comprehensive health centre in Ute-Okpu to a full-fledged hospital.

The West African Examination Council, WAEC, has announced the release of results of the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, for school candidates. Addressing newsmen in Yaba, Lagos, on Monday, Head of the Nigerian National Office of WAEC, Patrick Areghan, said of the one million, five hundred and thirty-eight thousand four hundred and forty-five candidates that sat for the examination, one million, three hundred and thirty-eight thousand three hundred and forty-eight candidates, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects with or without English Language and/ or Mathematics. He further explained that 1,003,668 candidates obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. Areghan said the latest results indicates a marginal 1.06 per cent improvement in performance of candidates compared to last year’s results. The results of 215,149 candidates are withheld in connection with vario...

Christians in the North under the aegis of Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians have said the restructuring of the country should commence with the restructuring of the minds of Nigerians to avoid a repeat of the ongoing problems. The President of CNNC, Daniel Kadzai, said this in an interview with  The PUNCH in Abuja. Kadzai said, “We should restructure our minds before restructuring the demography of Nigeria. For the restructuring we are talking about, if we don’t restructure our minds, even when we restructure the country or our boundaries, we will still have the problems in Nigeria.So, let’s reform Nigeria, then Nigeria will be great. We’re not against restructuring of any sort but let’s restructure our minds first as Nigerians before restructuring our boundaries.” He also called on the Federal Government to institute an inquiry into the burgling and looting of COVID-19 palliatives in warehouses across the country. While decrying the politicisation of the #EndSAR...

The Lagos State Government has paid, more than N1 billion into the Retirement Savings Account (RSA’s) of 246 retirees in the state’s public service for October. Mr. Babalola Obilana, Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), made the disclosure in a statement on Sunday in Lagos. “A total of one billion, three million, three hundred and seventy-four thousand, three hundred and seventy-two Naira, sixty-eight kobo was paid,” Obilana said. He explained that the beneficiaries included employees from the mainstream service, Local Government Service, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), and other parastatals of the state government. According to him, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has consistently paid the monthly entitlements of retirees and backlog of some unpaid pension inherited from previous administrations.

Singer, rapper , lawyer and social activist , Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz , is of the opinion that Nigeria would never be the same again in the wake of the # EndSARS protests that attracted global attention. The entertainer noted that with the passion and unity exhibited by Nigerian youths in the past weeks , he was optimistic that the future of the country looked brighter . He stated this at a webinar organised by a group called We Move Naija , which was monitored by Sunday Scoop . He added , “ I have never seen a Nigeria as united as what I saw during the protests . The youths were so united . However, the question for many people now is , what next? I think it is work in progress . The struggle has by no means ended . Majority of the work lies in citizen education. People need to know their rights and what the Constitution says. For some time  , I have been informing my followers on social media about what the law says about specific issues but I decided ...

script data-ad-client="ca-pub-7087675267614492" async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script The Senate has described as, “ fallacy of the highest order , ” a statement credited to the Minister of Works and Housing , Mr. Babatunde Fashola ( SAN ) , on the state of Nigerian roads. Fashola , according to the red chamber , had alleged that the National Assembly members should be held responsible for the poor state of the federal roads in Benue State. The upper chamber accused the Minister of trying to incite members of the public against the federal lawmakers by his allegation . The Senate stated this in a statement by its spokesperson , Dr. Ajibola Basiru , titled , “ Senate debunks Minister ’s claim on budgetary allocations to road construction, ” issued in Abuja on Sunday . The red chamber said it took exception to the statement credited to Fashola , that the National Assembly should be held responsible for the dilapidate...

Popular disc jockey and music producer, Imohiosen Patrick , better known as DJ Neptune , says it is a mystery to him that one of his songs , Nobody, is still enjoying a lot of attention seven months after its release . In an interview with Sunday Scoop , DJ Neptune , also stated that though he is an entertainer, he prefers to live a quiet life . He said, “ I am a private person and only allow my work to speak for me . I am not a shy person like people think but I like to mind my business. I just want my reputation to speak for me . I don’ t think my life contradicts my profession because I have been in the music industry for 19 years and it has never been a problem for me . My fans love Neptune the performer , artiste , producer and DJ . I only try to separate my personal life from my job because I’m just not a loud person . However, I have always loved to dress very well , but people don ’t notice because I am not everywhere . ” Speaking on why he featured Big Brother Naija ( Lockdown...

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has advised residents of the state to protect the properties, people and heritage of Lagos state. Obasa gave the advice during the plenary session on Monday following the aftermath of the vandalisation of properties belonging to the state during the  #EndSARS  protest. The Speaker noted that the destruction of both private and government properties, enterprises, arson and looting all over the country were pathetic.He said, “It is a sad time for us in Lagos but we must rise again. Lagos belongs to all of us and we should strive to protect its properties, people and the heritage that binds us together as a people. I also use this opportunity to appeal to all  Lagosians  to do all we can to move away from any form of further destruction. “I also urge the state government to do all it can within its ambit to fish out all the unscrupulous elements who were involved in the looting and destructio...

Iconic singer , Banky W , has teamed up with other renowned singers like Tubaba, Timi Dakolo , Waje , Seun Kuti , Brookstone and the Lagos Community Gospel Choir to deliver an inspirational song , Talk and Do. Speaking about the song , the singer said that he ought to have released it in his next album which ought to debut in 2021 but the message in the song reflects the current reality in Nigeria . Banky W further stated via his YouTube channel that the song explains that just talking about our problems is not enough. He wrote , “ Just ‘ talking ’ about our problems is not enough; we have to try and do something about them . That ’s what ‘Talk and Do’ is all about. Combining actions with our words , to try and be a part of the change we would like to see in the world . If you are already doing something , anything, to be a part of the solution , then hopefully this can be your soundtrack . And if you ’ re not, then hopefully this can be your inspiration. ”

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities has said it has yet to call off its ongoing strike because it is waiting for the government to conduct an integrity test on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution . The UTAS is the payment platform created by ASUU in place of government ’ s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System . ASSU President , Prof . Biodun Ogunyemi in an interview with The PUNCH said the government needed to give the clearance to National Information Technology Development Agency to conduct integrity test on UTAS. “ The integrity test will be handled by NITDA , it is government that will facilitate it because NITDA is a government , agency and unless you get clearance from the government that test cannot be conducted .” While speaking on whether the government had accepted UTAS , Ogunyemi said, “ We are still talking , we have given them the position of our members , we are thinking we should be able to hold a meeting this week if t...

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen . Tukur Buratai , has directed senior military personnel to declare their assets in compliance with the code of conduct for public officers. He stated that personnel entrusted with leadership responsibility must understand the importance of assets declaration and code of conduct . Declaring open , a two -day workshop on ‘Compliance with Assets Declaration and Code of Conduct for Officers and Soldiers ,’ facilitated by Go -Getters Consulting Ltd. , in Abuja on Tuesday , the COAS said the Nigerian Army would partner with the Code of Conduct Bureau to ensure public morality and accountability in the conduct of its activities . Buratai noted that the workshop was important to the Army as it afforded the servicemen the opportunity to fulfil their obligations as public officers in line with the provision of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , 1999 ( as amended ) . He said, “ The Nigerian Army under my leadership is desi...

The social media is reportedly awash with an advertisement for staff recruitment, admission of students and sales of 500 laptops computers from the office of the Vice Chancellor of the state-owned university, Professor Nse Essien to members of the public. In a statement issued by the Vice Chancellor Prof Nse Essien in Uyo and made available to Vanguard on the alleged scammers listed Dr. Kenneth Allaeze, Obioma Faith Omaha and Amos Izuchukwu as account holders luring unsuspecting members of the public to pay certain amount of money for the transactions. The statement reads in parts: “My attention has been drawn to announcements using  Facebook accounts with my name and my photographs deceiving unsuspecting members of the public that as Vice-chancellor of Akwa Ibom State University(AKSU). “I am charging various sums of money for the following purposes: recruitment of staff, admission of students and sales of 500 Laptop computers from federal government.” “The scammer is a...

A pregnant woman , simply identified as Mrs Endurance , and her two- year -old child have reportedly died in a road crash in the Isiokolo area of Delta State . The 19 -year - old mother and her child , who were said to have been knocked down on Sunday by a Lexus SUV with number plate GWA 594 BF suspected to belong to an alleged Internet fraudster , died on the spot . An eyewitness told our correspondent that the victim returned around 4 pm and went to the Isiokolo Market with her child to buy foodstuffs when the accident occurred. He said, “ It is unfortunate that a woman and her child who went to the market to buy foodstuffs met their untimely death along Oduvie Road , Isiokolo. “ The vehicle lost control and rammed into them , killing them on the spot . This is not the first time the victim has been buying foodstuffs from the market .” He said the corpses had been deposited in the General Hospital ’s mortuary in Ekrebou , Isiokolo. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer ...

Government over the disputed Soku oilfield. The court said Bayelsa was liable to abuse of court processes by asking it to make judicial pronouncements on a matter that the Court of Appeal had yet to adjudicate on. Bayelsa approached the Supreme Court after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered it to refund the 13 percent derivation it had received over the years from the disputed Soku oilfield to Rivers. The Special Assistant, Media to Rivers Governor, Kelvin Ebiri, in a statement, said at the resumed hearing of the matter on Tuesday, Justice Ngwuta, who led a panel of seven justices, wondered why Bayelsa decided to file a suit at the apex court bypassing the Court of Appeal. Ngwuta observed that Bayelsa jumped the gun insisting that the apex court could not make pronouncement on a judgment that was given by a Federal High Court when the appellate court had not entertained the matter. He explained the Supreme Court lacks the jurisdiction to make orders on on a matter direct...

An hours - long attack on an Afghan police special forces base involving car bombs and an intense firefight killed five policemen and wounded dozens of people , officials said Tuesday , as violence continued to surge in the war -weary country . Three suicide bombers detonated their explosives -loaded vehicles targeting the base in the city of Khost near the Pakistan border , Khost police chief Ghulam Daud Tarakhil told AFP , before other gunmen tried to storm the compound . One suicide bomber detonated his vehicle at the gates of the base early in the morning , while two others blew up their vehicles later during the gun battle between security forces and gunmen , he said. A fierce firefight that lasted for almost nine hours between the militants and security forces ended with the killing of seven other militants , Tarakhil said. Afghanistan ’ s interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian confirmed that the gun battle had now ended . The assault left five policemen dead and wounded 33 othe...

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, over the weekend, had an interview with CNN journalist, Becky Anderson where he stated that only two deaths have so far been recorded in the gunfire incident that rocked the #EndSARS protest at the Lekki tollgate on Tuesday, October 20. He said so far no family member of deceased persons have come out to make any complaints that their loved one died in the incident. He also stated that there are no bloodstains at the scene of the incident. Two dead bodies. That's what we've seen from all the morgues, that's what we've seen going to hospitals, that's what we've seen as records. What has happened is that there have been so many footages that people have shown but we have not seen dead bodies, we have not seen relatives, we have not seen anybody coming up to say indeed I am a father or mother to someone and I cannot find the person. Nobody has come. I have been round and there is no splash of blood anywhere ther...

A total of N 6 , 091 ,580 ,000 has been disbursed to 129, 137 poor and vulnerable households in Zamfara State , the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development announced on Tuesday . Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar -Farouq , stated this during a meeting with the Emirs and other stakeholders at the Zamfara State Government House , Gusau . She was quoted in a statement issued by the ministry ’s Chief Information Officer , Adeyemo Felicia , as saying , “ The disbursement is done through the Conditional Cash Transfer programme to the poor and vulnerable households in the state . “ It is done with a monthly base cash transfer of N 5 , 000 to each beneficiary, with the sole aim of graduating them out of poverty .” Umar -Farouq said the CCT exercise was conducted in six Local Government Areas including Anka , Bungudu, Birnin Magaji , Kauran Namoda Tsafe and Talatar Mafara . The minister stated t...

The Federal Government on Monday said some of the items looted in various warehouses across the country could constitute environmental hazard . Minister of Environment, Mohammad Mahmood, said this while speaking in Abuja at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID - 19 . He also stated that some of the looted items could not be used , adding that most looters were ignorant of the fact . Mahmood said, “ Breaking into warehouses can constitute serious environmental hazards. “ Some of the items looted , they ( looters) think they can use them without knowing they cannot use them . ” He advised the public to desist from wanton destruction and looting as it was not going to help .

President Muhammad Buhari has been called on by the chairman , senate committee on Army. Ali Ndume and the spoke man of senate Ajibola Nasiru to address Nigerians on the protest against police brutality and bad governance.      The Senate had compelled Buhari to address Nigerians on the issue, Basiru and Ndume condemned the killing of innocent citizens by the security operatives . " I have monitored with the shock and personal indignation, the turnout of the event on the #ENDSARS  protest with evidence of obvious descent of the country , particularly in the south-west of Nigeria, after the rickeless and disturbing incident at lekki tollgate on Tuesday evening .    " As a student who was involved in several protest , I see no reason for the display of outright recklessness by shooting into unarmed protesters by whoever; governmental or otherwise.  Bashiru said " As an elected representative of the people of osun central in the senate , I dep...