News

 By Uzair Adam Imam  

Two persons, David Iluebe and Chike E. Eke, were apprehended by security personnel at Bayero University, Kano, for masquerading as lecturers and peddling textbooks to unsuspecting first-year students.  

The impostors, hailing from Edo and Delta States, respectively, brazenly entered a lecture hall in the Faculty of Engineering and introduced themselves to the department’s lecturers. 

According to a statement released by Bala Abdullahi, Secretary of the Information and Publication unit of the Acting Registrar, the duo presented four textbooks on various subjects, coercing students into purchasing them as a prerequisite for their Continuous Assessment, threatening failure if they didn’t comply.  

The students, intimidated by the impostors, bought multiple copies to meet the supposed requirement. 

However, their scheme was foiled when security operatives stormed the hall following a tip-off, arresting the pair on July 25, 2024, for suspected criminal trespass, impersonation, and cheating. 

During the initial investigation, the suspects claimed authorship of the textbooks and confessed to the allegations, citing unemployment as their motivation.  

They revealed this was their second visit to the state, having previously targeted Kano State Polytechnic earlier in the year.

The seized textbooks were of poor quality and believed to be pirated. This incident highlights a disturbing trend of charlatans infiltrating tertiary institutions, exploiting unsuspecting students.  

The university management has warned students to be vigilant and has intensified surveillance to prevent similar incidents. The suspects will be handed over to the police for further action.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has announced plans to hire new staff.

A statement by NNPC spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, confirmed the development on Friday.

The recruitment will be for various positions across various departments within the energy company.

Interested applicants have been directed to visit the NNPC careers page for application instructions.

“NNPC Ltd is pleased to announce that we are currently hiring for multiple positions across various departments.

“We are seeking talented and dedicated individuals to join our team. Visit our careers page for application instructions,” the statement read.

However, due to unprecedented traffic to the NNPC Ltd career page from applicants applying for vacancies, the site is currently experiencing slow load times.

The company has assured that its technical team is working to resolve the issue.

Despite the technical challenge, the application process deadline remains August 20, 2024.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

President Bola Tinubu has allayed fears of manipulation by any interest group in the ongoing economic reforms, saying his campaign was self-sponsored, without strings, or indebtedness to any individual or institution.

The President, who received a delegation of Islamic leaders led by Sheikh Bala Lau, at the State House on Thursday, said his victory at the polls was purely by divine intervention, careful planning, and diligence in getting support from Nigerians.

“I have no cabal. I have no sponsors. The money I spent on the elections was my personal fortune. At some point, the odds were against me; banks were locked. But Allah, the Almighty God, said I will be the President. Mine is to now follow the leading and teaching of the Almighty God.

“One of the most potent elements of defence is a good conscience. It is also a defence against corruption.

“What should be uppermost in our minds is the future of our children. We have a lot to teach them on what it takes to be a good citizen and what it takes to be a responsible citizen,’’ the President stated.President Tinubu said protests, fuelled by anger and hate, could degenerate into violence and set the country backwards.

“We are reworking the social welfare scheme to reach the ward level, which is the closest to our people. We are going to ensure that we re-establish connection with the wards, again, so that we can give allowances to the poor and the vulnerable.

“The student loans will pay for school fees. There will be monetary support for the education of our children. The consumer credit will support citizens to buy cars and houses, and they can repay gradually.

“We have increased the minimum wage by more than 100 percent,’’ the President said.

President Tinubu said the sponsors of protests place their selfish ambitions above the national interest.

“The sponsors of protests do not love our country. They have no love for the nation. They do not understand citizenship. They have alternative passports.

“They are in different parts of the world holding meetings virtually.

“We do not want to turn Nigeria into Sudan. We are talking about hunger, not burials. We have to be careful. We should be careful with premature politics; politics of hate, and anger.

“The internet has made it possible to hold meetings in artificial settings. They hold meetings and sponsor anger,’’ the President told the religious leaders.

In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, Sheikh Bala Lau, assured the President of support with prayers and more sensitization.

“Peace is paramount for us in the country. The first thing Abraham asked God for was peace and guidance,’’ Sheikh Lau noted.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini.

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has expressed his profound gratitude to His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the landmark signing of the North West Development Commission Bill describing it as “a decisive step to pull the North West back from the brink”.

Governor Sani extended his commendation and well wishes in a statement on Wednesday 24th July 2024, “I wish to express my profound gratitude to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for signing the North West Development Bill into law. This is no doubt, the most significant piece of news I have received in decades. It clearly demonstrates President Tinubu’s deep concern for the North West and commitment to addressing its multifaceted developmental and security challenges,” governor Sani said.

The Governor further lauded President Bola Tinubu for his “uncommon support to State Governments in the North to effectively tackle their myriad challenges and set the region on the path to sustainable growth and development.”

Additionally, Governor Uba Sani urged leaders and people of the North West to see the signing of the North West Development Commission Bill into law as a call to action.

“We must come together and fashion a Marshall Plan for the development of the North West. Our plan must be people – driven and all inclusive. The people that will be saddled with the responsibility of running the North West Development Commission must be men and women of transparent honesty, knowledgeable, creative and innovative. There must be no room for incompetence and lethargy,” Kaduna State governor added.

The North West Development Commission was established to address the challenges facing the seven states in the North West geopolitical zone with the aim of bringing the Federal Government closer to people in all North Western states.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The Kaduna State House of Assembly on Wednesday repealed the laws that established the Zaria Metropolitan Authority, Kafanchan Municipal Authority and the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority in 2021.

The Speaker, Dahiru Liman, passed the bill for a law to repeal the law after the Chairman, the Joint Committee on the three authorities’ law and judicial law presented a report to the house.

The Daily reality reports that Mahmud Lawal, Ali Kalat and Auwal Muhammad presented a report for a bill to repeal Zaria, Kafanchan and Kaduna Capital Territory Authorities, respectively.

The house also repealed the law establishing the Fire and Public Safety Law No.20 of 2018 and enacted the Kaduna State Fire and Public Safety Law, of 2024.

The law was enacted after the chairman of the Joint Committee on Security and Intelligence and Judiciary, Munirat Suleiman, presented a report on the bill to the house.

Mahmud Lawal, a member representing Zaria City Constituency and the chairman of the joint committee of Zaria Metropolitan Authority and judiciary, said the repeal was necessary and timely.

“With the recent judgement by the Supreme Court and going through the provisions of our constitution, which stipulated the functions of local governments in Nigeria.

“We come to realise that the existence of the metropolitan authorities is not possible if we go by the functions of the local governments.

“Most of the activities of the metropolitan authorities by the law is supposed to be carried out by the local government functions,” he said.

By Uzair Adam Imam

President Bola Tinubu has convened an emergency meeting with APC governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, commencing at 1:01 pm.

The gathering occurs amidst escalating demands for nationwide demonstrations against economic adversity.

Although the meeting’s objectives remain unclear, it may be linked to the impending protests slated for August 1-10.

Despite the organisers’ anonymity, the ‘EndBadGovernance’ protests have garnered considerable online attention.

This meeting succeeds a prior conclave of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum on Wednesday evening and a last-minute cancellation of the National Economic Council meeting scheduled for Thursday at noon.

Notable attendees include National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Finance Minister Wale Edun, and Budget & Economic Planning Minister Abubakar Bagudu.

Details later…..

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Kano State Public Complaint and Anticorruption Commission (PCACC) has summoned dealers of flour at Singer market and the chairman, Association of Master Bakers & Caterers of Nigeria, over the hike in the price of bread.

The Daily Reality reports that the commission received a series of complaints from the public regarding the current bread price despite the stable price of flour in the market.

In a letter signed by the commission Chairman, Barrister Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, the commission invoked its powers under Section 9 and 15 of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anticorruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended) to investigate the matter.

The commission has also invited the flour dealers and the chairman and executive members of the Association of Master Baker’s & Caterers of Nigeria to hear their side of the story, in accordance with Section 31 of the commission’s enabling law 2008 (as amended).

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Defence Headquarters has stated that the right to protest is guaranteed, but warned that anarchy and violence will not be tolerated.

Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, stated this while addressing the journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

Buba said that intelligence suggests the planned nationwide protest may be hijacked by unscrupulous elements.

He noted that the aim of the protest appears to be similar to the situation in Kenya, where protests have turned violent and remain unresolved.

Buba warned that the military is prepared to deploy if the police are overwhelmed and emphasized that a state of anarchy will not be tolerated, as it has the potential to destabilize the country.

He added that the intended outcome of peaceful protests should not be undermined by violence.

The military’s statement comes as President Tinubu has appealed to youths to shelve the planned protest.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has also promised improved healthcare delivery in response to the planned hardship protest.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced that the newly approved minimum wage of N70,000 applies to all workers across both public and private sectors, including domestic staff such as housemaids, drivers, and gatemen.

Akpabio made this statement during a plenary session on Tuesday, emphasizing that the minimum wage is not limited to formal sector employees.

He explained that employers, including individuals, cannot pay their domestic staff below the approved minimum wage.

The Senate President congratulated the Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigerians, and the National Assembly on the passage of this “epoch-making legislation,” which reduces the term of negotiations from five years to three years due to the increasing cost of living.

This development means that all employers, including those in the private sector, must ensure they comply with the new minimum wage requirement for their employees, including domestic staff.

By Uzair Adam Meta

Meta removed approximately 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria that attempted to engage in financial sextortion scams, mostly targeting adult men in the United States.

Nigerian online fraudsters, known as “Yahoo boys”, are notorious for scams that range from passing themselves off as people in financial need or Nigerian princes offering an outstanding return on an investment.

Meta, in a statement on Wednesday, said the removed accounts included a smaller coordinated network of around 2,500 that were linked to a group of around 20 individuals.

“They targeted primarily adult men in the U.S. and used fake accounts to mask their identities,” Meta said.

In sexual extortion, or “sextortion”, people are threatened with the release of compromising photos, either real or faked, if they do not pay to stop them.

The Daily Reality gathered that investigation showed that the majority of the scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful and although mostly targeting adults, there were also attempts against minors, which Meta reported to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S.

The company said it had used a combination of new technical signals developed to help identify sex extortion.

Nigeria’s scammers became known as “419 scams” after the section of the national penal code that dealt – ineffectively – with fraud.

As economic hardships worsen in the country of more than 200 million people, online scams have grown, with those behind them operating from university dormitories, shanty suburbs or affluent neighbourhoods.

Meta said some accounts were providing tips for conducting scams.

“Their efforts included offering to sell scripts and guides to use when scamming people, and sharing links to collections of photos to use when populating fake accounts,” it said.