Author: Kwara Reporters

At least 24 states of the federation will not be able to pay workers salaries this year without having to wait for federal allocations from the central government, findings by The PUNCH have revealed.Only 11 out of the 36 state governments of the federation can independently pay their workers’ salaries without depending on federal allocations, according to an analysis of the state governments’ approved budgets for the 2024 fiscal year.The states with robust internal revenue are Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Osun, Ogun and Zamfara.The approved budgets are also contained in Open States, a BudgIT-backed website that…

The Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Justice Mary Peter Odili (retd), on Wednesday, cautioned lawyers against addressing the media after court proceedings, describing the action as unethical.She stated this on the second day of the Call to Bar Ceremony of 4,412 new lawyers in Abuja.The retired justice of the Supreme Court also disclosed that a committee has been set up to address the worrisome issue of conflicting judgments of courts in the country.She implored the newly sworn in lawyers to demonstrate the highest level of professional ethics and behave with honour at all times.Justice Odili also urged the new…

A Federal High Court in Ibadan on Wednesday ordered the remand of a woman and two men for their roles in the January 16 Bodija explosion in Ibadan.The police charged Ramatu Camara, 47, Ganiu Malik, 20, and Abubakar Samasa, 64, with conspiracy, use of weapons of mass destruction, stockpiling of radioactive materials, and dispersal of biological weapons, but they pleaded not guilty to the charge.Justice E.U. Akpan ordered that they be remanded in the Agodi correctional centre, and adjourned the suit until April 11 for a hearing on their bail applications.The police prosecutor, Michael Ojeah, had informed the court that…

The Edo house of assembly has asked Yahaya Omogbai, its clerk, to serve Philip Shaibu, deputy governor of the state, with an impeachment notice.During plenary on Wednesday, Charity Aiguobarueghian, the majority leader, announced the petition, dated March 5, against Shaibu.Aiguobarueghian said the petition was signed by 21 of 24 members of the state assembly.He added that the petition was anchored on two grounds of perjury and revealing of government secrets.Blessing Agbebaku, the speaker, acknowledged receipt of the petition and directed Omogbai to serve Shaibu with the impeachment notice.The speaker said Shaibu has seven days to respond to the impeachment notice.On…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says it has developed new guidelines for licensing, registration and screening of digital and virtual assets service providers (VASPs).According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), VASPs are entities that conduct exchanges between virtual assets (cryptocurrencies) and fiat currencies, and transfers of virtual assets.In a notice seen by TheCable dated March 4, 2024, the SEC said the new measures would ensure that “criminals are not registered as operators” in the capital market.The CBN had lifted the ban on crypto transactions in the country on December 22, 2023, and issued operational guidelines on virtual assets…

In continuation of measures to address the food inflation and cost of living crisis, the Federal Government Tuesday said it had so far intercepted 141 trucks attempting to smuggle grains and other staples to Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, said that the service had within two weeks arrested about 120 trucks smuggling food items from Nigeria while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission stopped 21 food trucks from leaving the country on Tuesday.As the CG was disclosing the measures being enforced to ensure food security at the House…

Mental health experts have urged the House of Representatives to maintain the ban on sachet and small bottled alcoholic drinks, stressing that studies show that high intake is linked to mental health problems, particularly among young people.The psychiatrists stressed that the availability of sachets and small bottled alcoholic drinks has a more negative impact on mental health and said the ban is in the best interest of the Nigerians.PUNCH Healthwise reported that the House of Representatives mandated its committee on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to probe the circumstances surrounding the ban imposed on the…

Some of the recovered bags of rice at karmo, abuja More facts emerged over the Sunday looting of a private warehouse in the Karmo community of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).Kwara Reporters reported how some hoodlums in their numbers attacked a government warehouse in Gwagwa town, as well a private one, owned by a trader in neighbouring Karmo town, all located within Abuja Municipal Area Council, in the FCT.The Gwagwa warehouse, which was attacked around 7 am, and lasted till 9 am, was owned by the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat, of the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA.Branded bags of maize…

FILE: Bags of maize are offloaded from a truck at the market in Jibia on February 18, 2024. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)The Federal Government will begin the distribution of grains nationwide to cushion the impacts of the hardship in Nigeria.Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Senator Abubakar Kyari disclosed this on Monday.“Dear Fellow Nigerians,” he wrote on his official X handle. “In these trying times, I extend my sincere compassion to those affected by the hardships in the country. I understand the gravity of the situation, especially with the unfortunate event of foodstuff warehouse looting.“Amidst these challenges, I…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, advised that Nigeria should approach the government of Zimbabwe for a solution to the current all-time high inflation in the country.He noted that since Zimbabwe was recently confronted with the same problem and came out of it, the southern African country would have useful advice for Nigeria.In its latest release, the National Bureau of Statistics put Nigeria’s inflation at 29.9 per-cent.The country is currently grappling with high cost of living, with pockets of protests breaking out across the country as Nigerians contend with increasing prices of foodstuffs.Obasanjo, speaking on Monday at a youth leadership…