News

CBN set to enlighten Kano business owners about its policies and programmes

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Kano branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has set to educate business owners in December on its policies and how they can venture into various programmes initiated by the apex bank.

This is contained in a letter dated November 25, 2021, and signed by H.S. Mohammed on behalf of the Branch Controller, CBN Kano.

The letter was addressed to the Students’ Union Government president of Bayero University Kano, requesting the student leader to mobilise 50 of his union members at the sensitisation event.

The letter partly reads: “The Central Bank of Nigeria intends to sensitise manufacturers, traders, farmers, banks, artisans, cooperatives and the general public on the various policies and programmes of the Bank which they can key into.

“Consequently, the Bank is cordially inviting you and your members to in-depth presentations from 9:00 a.m daily on Wednesday, 1” and Thursday, 24 December 2021 at Afficent Event Centre, No. 4 Magajin Rumfa Road, Opposite DTSV Office Nassarawa, Kano.”

Explaining what the event is all about, the Bank wrote, “The ‘CBN Fair’ is a harmonised sensitisation program on all the Central Bank of Nigeria’s initiatives (Real Sector Financing and Interventions, Payment Systems Initiatives, Consumer Protection, Clean Naira Note Policy, Financial Inclusion and Consumer Rights) with a focus on the recent e-Naira initiative.”

Viral video shows how IPOB insurgents decapitate 2 Muslims

By Muhammad Sabiu

A viral video clip shows how some suspected terrorists working for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) beheaded two Northern Nigerian Muslims.

Daily Nigerian, an online newspaper, reports that the terrorists could be seen displaying the heads near an open fire, as they were jubilating “their feat and identifying the nose and forehead of one of the victims as “Hausa”.

As they were chanting different inciting words, juggling one of the two heads, one of the perpetrators said in the Igbo language, “This is a Hausa man now”, while another argued that the head was of a Fulani man.

Recall that IPOB terrorists maimed one driver of the Ɗangote trailer and some of his assistants in the past weeks.

IPOB has been notorious for killings and setting government and other detention facilities on fire.

The group leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was some months ago apprehended abroad and repatriated, and he is currently standing trial for treason, jumping bail and illegal possession of arms.

COVID-19: FG directs civil servants from level 12 and below to resume work

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The Nigerian government has directed federal civil servants from Grade Level 12 and below to resume full duties on Wednesday December 1, 2021.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, gave the directive in a circular on Friday in Abuja. Dr. Yemi-Esan, further said that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the vaccine mandate policy to all Federal Government employees.

The new development follows a recommendation by the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19, urging workers to resume full working hours and days.

Unrest in Imo community as gunmen kill soldier

By Muhammad Sabiu

Suspected gunmen in Imo State have on Monday launched an attack on some soldiers in Awo Mmamma town in the Oru East Local Government Area.

The attack, according to reports, has led to the killing of one soldier, which prompted the soldiers to raid the town.

In the raid, the soldiers have allegedly torched houses, cars, shops and a hotel, forcing many residents to flee their community.

A source, whose identify wasn’t made public, said “some hoodlums attacked some soldiers at Ishieke junction in Awo Mmamma and killed one of them. They zoomed off towards Ihiala in Anambra State. Later soldiers invaded the area and caused havoc in the area by setting a hotel, cars, houses and stalls on fire.”

However, police in the state haven’t commented on the incident as of the time fo filing this report.

Southeastern Nigeria has in recent months been hit hard by attacks suspected to have been carried out by Biafran combatants.

Nigerian pop star gives out 250m naira donation to orphanages nationwide

By Hussaina Sufyan Ahmed

Award-winning Nigerian-American pop star, Davido, has donated the total sum he got from donations from fans and fellow celebrities to orphanage homes across Nigeria.

The Nigerian American singer, whose real name is David Adeleke, posted on Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday:

“If u know I’ve given you a hit song … send me money,” and posted details of a Wema Nigerian bank account on November 17, 2021

Within 90 minutes of the post to his more than 31 million followers on Twitter and Instagram – the 28-year-old shared a screenshot of his account balance showing more than 42m naira had already been deposited.

This donation has stirred up a lot of reactions from Nigerians. However, the contributions came to a halt in the afternoon of November 20 2021, when the pop artist released an agreement statement on his pages in his intention to take out the 200,000 million naira as charity to orphanage homes across Nigeria while adding 50 million naira to the money donated, making the whole sum 250,000,000 naira.

In the statement, Davido appointed a five-person committee in charge of distributing the funds to the beneficiaries. They are Mrs Titi Adebayo-Chairman of the committee; Professor Jonathan Nwosu-Secretary to the committee; Professor Yahana Joel Ahana of the Northern Nigeria Seventh Day Activist Union Conference; Pastor (Dr) Oyalabu of Spring Time Development Foundation (SDF); and Professor Uloma Onuoha.

The committee is set to ensure transparency in the disbursement and figure out the orphanage homes that should benefit from the donation.

Recruitment advert put in our name is fake—Nigerian Army

Muhammad Sabiu

The Nigerian Army has on Thursday debunked a viral recruitment advertisement made in its name, describing it as “not only fake but fraudulent.”

Recall that some online media have taken to their websites to advertise that the Nigerian Army has opened its online application for Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) and Short Service Combatant (SSC).

Debunking the advertisement, the army, in a short Facebook post titled “BEWARE OF FAKE RECRUITMENT,” wrote: “This recruitment advert is not only fake but fraudulent and should be disregarded in its entirety by members of the public. It is also important to state that at present, the Nigerian Army has not put out any advert for sales of forms for SSC/DSSC.”

Saudi varsities to collaborate with Ahmadu Bello University – Envoy

By Uzair Adam Imam

Prominent Saudi universities have expressed interest to build a strong collaboration with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU), stating that the university has attained a considerable standing in teaching and research, the Consul-General, Royal Consulate General of Saudi Arabia, Kano, Khalil Ahmed Admawi, has disclosed.

The Consul-General made the disclosure today, 18th November 2021, when he paid a familiarisation visit to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he had an interaction with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kabiru Bala, in his office.

This was made public in a release signed Thursday, 18th November 2021, by the Public Affairs Directorate, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Mr. Admawi, who led a three-man delegation to the University from the Saudi Consulate in Kano, said it was a “great pleasure” for him to have visited Ahmadu Bello University for the first time.

He added that long before his coming to Nigeria to serve as a diplomat he had been hearing about ABU’s greatness as clearly manifested in the quality of products produced by the institution over the years.

The Consul-General also explained that his visit to ABU was primarily to acquaint himself with the institution, and to subsequently link many Saudi universities with Ahmadu Bello University for possible collaboration on various academic fields.

Admawi, who expressed immense appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor for the warm reception accorded him and his entourage, further said that the visit would open more doors for different academic linkages between ABU and Saudi academic institutions.

Receiving the Consul-General, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kabiru Bala, recalled the kind of relationship ABU had with the Gulf countries at its early years of existence.

Prof. Bala further said that such collaboration ceased to exist with the death of Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, who founded the University in 1962.

“Thereafter, ABU has been trying to resuscitate such collaborations with the Gulf countries. It is my hope that your visit will eventually revive the collaborations not only on Islamic Banking but also on other academic fields”, he said.

The Consul-General and his entourage were later conducted round some places within the University, including Department of Arabic, where he briefly interacted with the Head of Department, Prof. Jafar Abdulmalik and other staff members of the Department.

A renowned Islamic scholar at the Faculty of Education, Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Dr. Abubakar Mohammed Sani Birnin Kudu, and Malam Ahmad Idris Yunus, a staff at the Consulate, were part of the Consul-General’s entourage.

Reps ratify bill to make free child healthcare compulsory

By Hussaina Sufyan Ahmad

The Nigerian House of Representatives have on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, passed, for the second reading, a bill titled “A Bill for an Act to Make Health Care Service Delivery Free for All Children in Nigeria and for Related Matters”, seeking to make compulsory for the Federal Government to provide free health care services for children in Nigeria.

The bill was sponsored by a member of the house, Bello Kaoje.

Leading the debate on Wednesday, Kaoje stated that children’s health needs are significantly different from those of adults.

He said: “By nature, children grow and develop at rapid rates, placing them at special risk of being affected by illness and injury. If health problems are not identified and treated, they can affect a child’s cognitive, physical, behavioural and emotional development,” stressing that, “With the Federal Government’s health care initiative, Save One Million Lives, it is very important to make free medical services for children in Nigeria.”

“It will give the following unique and immediate benefits: The health care services shall include diagnoses, treatment, prevention of illness and other physical and mental impairment in children in Nigeria. The services shall be rendered by the government hospitals in Nigeria. The services shall cover referral cases of children from other states, local government hospitals or any other private hospital in Nigeria.”

Nigeria’s Safiyya Daba wins Equal Access International photo contest

By Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim

Safiyya Muhammad Daba, an award-winning Nigerian photographer, has won the Equal Access International Photo Contest 2021.

This announcement was made in a virtual meeting via Microsoft Teams by the Equal Access Team on November 3, 2021.

Recall that Abuja Business Reports had earlier reported that Safiyya Muhammad Daba was the only Nigerian who won the Agenda 2063 photojournalism award organised by African Women in Media (AWiM) in 2021.

Daba, while responding to questions by our correspondent on her feat, expressed her happiness.

“Actually, I don’t know what to say. Winning the award is beyond my thoughts. I never had a single thought in my head to be among the winners, not even the 1st place. Alhamdulillah, for this is God’s doing.” she said.

“I keep on thanking God for giving me the eye to witness that moment the boy was fetching the water and the ability to capture the moment with my lens. Which is the reason for my success.”

Man sets own mother’s house ablaze over food

By Muhammad Sabiu

A Nairobi man in Kenya identified as Joseph Njuguna, who allegedly set his own mother’s home on fire over her refusal to finish cooking food on time, has been dragged to court.

Reports indicate that the burnt house is worth about N4.7 million.

Njuguna was said to have arrived home and asked the mother where his food was. However, to his utter dismay, she didn’t finish cooking.

After she tried to console him to wait for some time in his room for the food to be ready, he insisted he “would do something about it” as he later came back and had a brief argument with her.

Shortly after, while she was still cooking, she realised that the house had been engulfed in smoke.

Panicked by the smoke, she tried to flee the home, but after reaching the door, she found that it had been locked as she had to scream for help.

She finally got rescued by neighbours, as the suspect was said to have gone into hiding.

People in the area later launched a manhunt on him, and he was later found. After he was found, they started beating him to the extent that his mother had to come to his rescue.

Injured by the beating, the mother took him to a nearby hospital to receive some treatment.

Police got informed, and they intervened, stating that “Joseph Njuguna unlawfully and willfully torched his mother’s house on November 6 within Nairobi’s Dagoreti area.”

Njuguna pleaded not guilty, but he has bagged a bond of Ksh500,000.