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The Neo-Black Movement of Africa (NBM) has announced the donation of N2m to victims of the June 5 terror attack at St Francis Church, Owo, Owo local government area of Ondo State. National President of the Movement, Olorogun Ese Kakor, who made the donations when he visited scene of the attack and palace of the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III also assured that NBM of Africa would help to showcase the rich cultural values of Owo community ahead of the Owo Igogo festival. Olorogun Kakor said it was unimaginable that gunmen could kill people inside the sanctuary of God. Kakor described the NBM as a pan-African organisation that promotes Africa culture and engaged in humanitarian services. He insisted that the NBM was not part of the Blackaxe confraternity. “We came to sympathise with the church on this attack. We come to share in their grief and sympathize with the people of Owo. “Intelligence matters a lot. Security agents have to upp their came. It is getting worse. Nig...

  Npower Physical Verification Starts Officially On Tuesday 14th June To Saturday 25th June, 2022 The long awaited physical verification officially commences on Tuesday 14th June, 2022 and will officially end on Saturday 25th June, the entire physical verification exercise will last for two weeks. Npower applicants are hereby advised to login their nasims self service portal and click on the verification tab of their nasims portal, if you are selected, your physical verification venue will be displayed under the "fingerprint captured ✓" green icon at the bottom of the verification page on nasims self service portal. 

  A British legislator from the governing Conservative Party resigned after admitting he watched pornography on his phone in the House of Commons chamber. Neil Parish, a member of Parliament since 2010, announced his decision on Saturday after pressure from members of his own party who sought to defuse sleaze allegations before the UK holds its local elections on May 5. The ballot is seen as pivotal for Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is already facing a voter backlash over lockdown-breaking parties in government offices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parish, 65, stepped down after what he described as a moment of “madness”. Parish, chairman of the house’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said he was trying to look at a tractor website, but stumbled into a porn site with a similar name and watched it for “a bit”. Reports that a legislator had watched porn amid the historic green benches of the House of Commons triggered a flood of complaints from women i...

  Only six of 20 presidential aspirants on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have picked the expression of interest and nomination forms, it was learnt yesterday. Also, no fewer than 63 governorship aspirants have picked nomination forms. The ruling party began the sale of nomination forms to presidential, governorship and federal parliamentary aspirants on Tuesday, April 26. The exercise is expected to end on Friday May 6. The six presidentaial aspirants are National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, his Ebonyi counterpart, Dave Umahi, former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba The only woman presidential aspirant, Uju Kennedy has also picked her nomination forms after depositing N30 million. Under the APC guidelines, female and Persons with Disability (PWD) aspirants are to purchase the expression of interest forms while nomination forms are free. Youth (25 to 40 ye...

  Some Nigerians on Monday staged a protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Abuja over the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops. Donning T-shirts saying ‘Stop The War’, the protesters in their numbers chanted songs and displayed placards to express their grievances. The protesters include parents, siblings, friends, and loved ones of Nigerians stranded in Ukraine. They lamented the reports about the ordeal being faced by their loved ones in Ukraine, especially with many Nigerians prevented from crossing the border into Poland, Hungary and others. They, therefore, called for peace. There have been similar protests in some other cities across the world including in Russia, over 1,700 protesters had been arrested as of last Thursday. Many Russian celebrities and public figures, including some working for state TV, have also spoken out against the attack. For instance, Yelena Kovalskaya, director of a state-funded Moscow theatre, announced on Facebook she was quitting her job, sayi...

  The meeting between the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, and protesting Nigerian students ends in deadlock as the minister walks out on them.

The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) on Wednesday “conditionally” suspended its strike, ending a protracted industrial action that started since March 2020. He said the suspension of the strike takes effect from Thursday, December 24th, 2020. ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi made the announcement during a briefing of the union in Abuja, explaining that the development followed the agreement reached with the Federal Government and a meeting with its National Executive Council (NEC). While warning that the union would return to strike without notice if the government fails in meeting its part of the agreement reached with the university lecturers, Ogunyemi noted that the reopening of the schools, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, lies with the Federal Government and senate of the universities. Professor Ogunyemi thanked students and their parents for their understanding throughout the nine-month period and said: “no amount of sacrifice would be too much to get the matte...

The National President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, in a telephone interview with The PUNCH, said the Federal Government was not sincere about negotiations with the union, adding that lecturers would not resume on an empty stomach. Ogunyemi specifically took a swipe at the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Ahmed Idris, for violating a directive of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), that lecturers’ salaries should be paid. He hinted that Nigerians should be ready for a long-drawn strike in universities with the way government was handing negotiations. Also, the Non-Academic Staff Union on Monday said the Federal Government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System was not transparent, saying many of its members were being cheated. Both NASU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities began a 14-day warning strike on Monday over the adoption of the IPPIS in universities and non-payment of minimum wage to their members. T...

  The Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos State has disclosed that only the final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students will resume on September 14 while the other levels will resume on November 9 and Jan 11th, 2021.  In a statement signed by the Coordinator, Centre for Information, Press and Public Relations, Ademola Adekoya, final year students at the undergraduate level would have their lecture hours from 9.00am to 3.00pm, Monday to Friday while postgraduate students; (Masters and Ph.D.) would have their lectures only at weekends. Part of the statment reads, “200 to 500 level students will commence academic activities on Monday 9th November 2020 while lectures for newly admitted students (100 levels) will commence on Monday 11th January 2021. Sandwich Degree Programme, Part-Time in Epe Campus, and Diploma students will commence lectures on Friday 13th November 2020 and their lectures would hold only on weekends.” The statement said the University S...

 The National Association of Nigerian Students (Zone D) has rejected the increase in pump price of petrol. The coordinator of NANS Zone D, Kowe Odunayo Amos described the increment as punishment to Nigerians considering the current economic hardship in the country due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The students’ body, therefore, asked President Muhammadu Buhari and his cabinet members to reverse the pump price or resign. A statement made available by the students' body reads, “We find it most embarrassing to read of the increment in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N163. This is in addition to the 300% increment in electricity tariff. It is on record that this same President Buhari and his anti-people government increased stamp duty; devalued the Naira to the extent that a dollar is almost N500 now. “No doubt, this government has worsened all the crises it has inherited from the last administration. In fact, the Buhari government is a clear example that we the students must...

  The South-West zone of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has applauded the Ondo State governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, over the reduction in school fees of the state-owned Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA), Akungba  Akoko. According to the association, this decision by the Governor shows that he listens to his people, adding that the reduction would go a long way to reduce the burden of the students and their parents despite the political meaning being attached to the reduction of the tuition fees. The students however, called on the governor to also extend the same gestures to three other higher institutions in the state namely; UNIMED, OAUSTECH and RUGIPO and urged the governing councils of the three schools to meet with the governor to see to the reduction of fees. The students pledged their support for the reelection of Akeredolu and also pleaded with the governor to attend to some challenges affecting the Olusegun Agagu Universi...

  The Kogi State Government has announced that schools at all levels in the state will be resuming September 14th, 2020. This announcement was made by the State’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones, FCIB, at a press briefing on Tuesday in Lokoja. It was gathered that the decision was made after series of interactions with the relevant stakeholders and assessment of both private and public schools in the state to ascertain their level of preparedness and safety for reopening of schools from COVID-19 break. The commissioner however, advised and encouraged all heads of every school to ensure full compliance with the COVID-19 protocols which had been clearly set out by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19. He assured  the general public, parents, guardians, schools heads that the state is very particular about the health and safety of students in Kogi State and will ensure that students are kept in good condit...

 Tertiary institutions in Delta State are gearing up to reopen on September 21, 2020. According to government sources, the date was agreed on following a meeting by the state governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, with stakeholders including COVID-19 management team. A top government official said, “We have agreed to reopen before September end. So far, we have agreed tentatively on September 21.  I can assure you that our schools will reopen in Delta State in September. Governor Okowa will announce it when all arrangements are completed." Also, a commissioner in the state, who did not want his name in print, said “our schools are resuming in September.”

  The management of Lagos State University (LASU) has disclosed that students of the university will resume in batches. This was made known by the Vice Chancellor of the university. The Vice chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN made this known while addressing questions during a radio programme on  Eko 89.7 fm , explained that students in 400, 500 and 600 levels would resume before others. This is coming after the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had on Saturday announced that tertiary institutions will be allowed to open from September 14th, 2020, while primary and secondary schools may be reopened on September 21. The VC who also stated that that lectures would hold between 9 am and 3 pm on the university campus however, did not give a specific resumption date. Fagbohun mentioned that students in 200 and 300 levels would resume two months before the commencement of their examinations. He said, “A gradual phasing has been done for our students’ r...

  Osun State Government has disclosed that the date for reopening of schools in the state in September 21st, 2020. This was contained in a statement by the commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs Funke Egbemode, at the end of this week’s State Executive Council meeting. She however added that the school resumption will be in phases. She also stated that stakeholders were expected to continue to put protocols in place towards the reopening of schools according to the guidelines set by the Federal Ministry of Education. The statement read in part: “Having conducted an assessment of schools within the State to ascertain the level of preparations for reopening, the government has scheduled schools to resume from the COVID-19 break on September 21st for an abridged third term of the 2019/2020 academic session, which is expected to end on October 30, 2020. “To make up for lost grounds caused by t he COVID-19 induced lockdown, a new academic session (2020/2021 session...

  The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that attempts to reopen tertiary institution without concrete efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 is suicidal. According to ASUU, the federal government should be ready for any possible negative consequences following its plan to reopen tertiary institutions. This warning was made by the Lagos Zone of ASUU  through the zonal coordinator, Prof. Olusiji Sowande while addressing journalists at a press conference held at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State. According to him, the government made arrangements for special bailout funds for airline operators and other private entities but did not extend the same arrangement to public universities. He noted that accommodations are inadequate, no facility on the ground to carry out physical distancing in large and crowded classes. He equally stated that water and electricity supply were not reliable in the universities. Sowande sa...

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has directed that the tertiary institutions in the state be reopened effective from September 14th, 2020. He made this known during a briefing at the State House, Marina on Saturday. Sanwo-Olu also stated that after the ongoing WASSCE, primary and secondary schools in the state would also be permitted to reopen from September 21, 2020, for the resumption of academic activities The Governor, however, stated that this position is not cast in stone which means it is subject to change based on the ongoing monitoring and procedures from the Ministry of Health As regards our primary and secondary schools, we are working towards reopening them around the 21st of September 2020. This position is not cast in stone and subject to a review of our ongoing monitoring and procedures from the Ministry of Health. “Remember that we said that the virus will peak and we will flatten the curve in the month of August. From what we have seen, it appears we have flat...

The Nigerian Police Force announced Saturday that online applications for enlistment as constable will begin on Tuesday 14 July. Its portal www.policerecruitment.gov.n g will remain open till 23 August. Interested applicants for the 40,000 vacancies, according to an advertisement signed by DCP Frank Mba, must have National Identity Number(NIN). They must have five credits in WASSCE or NECO, GCE or NABTEB, at not more than two sittings. They must also be between 17 and 25 years. The advertisement however lists some categories of people who cannot apply for the jobs. These are: * Short men and women. The advert says a female applicant must be at least 1.64m tall, while a male applicant must be at least 1.67m. * Male applicants must have a minimum chest measurement of 34 inches. *Female applicants must not be pregnant. *All applicants with financial problems or ‘pecuniary embarrassment’ are barred. * Applicants with impediment of speech *Gross malformation of teeth or jaw *Knock knees...