Author: Kwara Reporters

The Federal Government has declared that underage candidates will no longer be permitted to sit for secondary school leaving examinations administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, disclosed this when he appeared on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ programme on Sunday night.He stressed that both the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) must now enforce an 18-year age limit for candidates taking the WASSCE and SSCE exams, respectively.The minister also clarified that this is not a new policy but a reinforcement of existing…

Another serving Commissioner of Finance in Borno state, Hon. Ahmed Ali Ahmed is dead.Sources revealed that the young Commissioner who was hale and hearty as at yesterday, died on Monday while in his sleep.According to reports, the Commissioner’s wife was said to be outside the state, while her husband failed to wake up in the morning which compelled family members to forcefully opened his door. Upon opening the door, they discovered his lifeless body lying on his bed.“Oga is no more, he died early this morning,” the source disclosed.The State Governor, Babagana Zulum has lost two of his cabinet members…

Representatives of state governments at the last Federation Accounts Allocation Committee meeting have bemoaned the decision by the Federal Government to save additional revenue for the payment of the new minimum wage.This development, which affected their revenue distribution from the federation committee, was received with opposing views when an update on statutory allocation showed that the government transferred a sum of N200bn into the non-savings account at the August FAAC meeting, making a total of N595bn.The Commissioners of Finance, Akwa Ibom, Dr Linus Noah; Delta, Okenmor Tilije and Ekiti, Akintunde Oyebode raised the observation at the last FAAC meeting held…

The Federal Government says it stands with its decision to void over 22,700 degree certificates obtained by Nigerians in some “fake” universities in neighbouring Togo and Benin Republic.Education Minister Tahir Mamman, who was on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, said Nigerians who obtained degree certificates from such “illegal” tertiary institutions are denting Nigeria’s image.He said the measure to invalidate degree certificates from illegal universities in the Benin Republic and Togo was not a harsh one as the authorities in the neighbouring Francophone West African countries also adjudged the concerned schools as fake. Last year, an undercover journalist detailed how he acquired…

At least six people have been killed in two attacks in Agatu LGA of Benue State.It was gathered that one person was killed in Iwari community, while the five others were killed on Friday in Olegagbane.A resident, who requested anonymity, said, “The armed invaders attacked Iwari community yesterday, killing one person and injuring several others.“On Friday, August 23, 2024, the gunmen also struck Olegagbane community, killing five individuals.”The Chairman of Agatu LGA, Phillip Ebenyakwu, who confirmed the incidents, said, “It’s true. Confirmed. These armed invaders kill, steal, loot and then flee. Their motives remain unclear, but they continually return to…

Airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have eliminated many terrorists in Kaduna and Zamfara states, and destroyed 25 illegal refining sites in Imo and Rivers states, an official has said.The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Edward Gabkwet, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.Mr Gabkwet said the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch had continued in its efforts to track, locate and eliminate the terrorists responsible for the recent upsurge of terrorists’ activities.He said that intelligence had revealed that terrorists responsible for recent attacks on civilians, abductions and cattle rustling within Shiroro Local Government…

Gunmen masquerading as secessionists have intensified their attacks on security operatives in Anambra State.This has led to casualties on the part of police forces, and in some cases on the part of the gunmen too.Two recent attacks have shown that those behind the attacks are not relenting.In Nnewi and Nnobi, policemen paid the supreme price during those recent attacks.Two weeks ago, gunmen operating in Nnewi attacked a police team, killing one of the policemen at a junction.Sources said the incident happened at about 9am, and that the attackers, when repelled by the policemen, threw an improvised explosive device at the…

The Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged politicians in Nigeria to stop weaponising insecurity against their opposition in office.She spoke before a room filled with lawyers at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Sunday.The former Nigerian finance minister delivered a keynote address entitled, ‘A Social Contract For Nigeria’s Future’.“We cannot have socio-economic development without security. We certainly cannot have security without development,” the WTO chief said.“We all know that security has been weaponised in our country…

The Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described Senator Dino Melaye as a liability to the party.PDP elders in the state led by Ibrahim Dansofo, urged the local executive committee in Ijumu to initiate immediate suspension proceedings against Melaye.This, they said, would emphasize the need to restore the party’s integrity and focus on viable leadership.On Saturday, Melaye said the acting national chairman of the PDP, Iliya Damagum, Samuel Anyanwu and Umar Bature have destroyed the former ruling party.Melaye claimed that the three chieftains had irredeemably destroyed PDP.Condemning his remark, the party elders said Melaye’s political ambitions…

The State Security Service (SSS) has released a Nigerian journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, after detaining him for more than six hours on Sunday.SSS operatives arrested Mr Soyinka, the West African Regional Editor of the Conversation Africa, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at about 5.40 a.m. on Sunday, on his arrival from the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight.He was driven from the airport to the SSS headquarters annex in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was detained until about 12.30 p.m. when he was granted bail.It was learnt that SSS decided to grant him bail following the intervention of…