The Kano State Government and Islamic clerics from Tijjaniyya, Qadiriyya, and Izala sects in the state have called on the Federal Government to extend the January 31 deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria, to stop accepting old naira notes. The call was sequel to the resolution of a meeting by the state governor Ganduje, top government officials, and Islamic clerics at the Government House on Thursday. The meeting, according to a statement by Hassan Musa Fagge, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, on Friday, noted that economic activities had been paralyzed in Kano due to hardship caused by the shortage of the new naira notes. “The meeting, therefore, urged President Muhammadu Buhari that out of his magnanimity to consider the suffering caused to people of the State due to the shortage of the new naira notes and extend the deadline set by the CBN,” the statement read in part. The statement added that the meeting was also attended by the Deputy Governor and APC...

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has written to the Senate for confirmation of the reappointment of seven members of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission. The letter for the confirmation of the commissioners, dated, January 3, 2023, was read at Tuesday’s plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan. The nominees include Justice Adamu Bello (Retd.), Katsina State (North West); Hanatu Muhammed, Jigawa (North West); Mrs. Olubukola Balogun Lagos state, (South West); Obiora Igwedibia, Anambra state, (South East), Dr. Abdullahi Saidu, Niger State (North- Central); Dauda Umar, Nasarawa (North Central); and Dr Grace Chinda, Delta State (South-South). A copy of the letter obtained by The PUNCH read, “In accordance with the provisions of Section 3 sub-section (3) & (7) of the Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Act. 2000. I write to forward for confirmation by the Senate the under-listed names of seven persons for reappointment as members ...

A bill seeking to amend the National Youth Service Corps Act to, among other proposals, make the compulsory one-year national youth service for under-30 graduates optional suffered a setback at the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The bill, which also seeks to create more allowances for NYSC members and make it optional for someone who graduates at 30 and above to obtain a Certificate of Exemption, failed to pass second reading as it faced stiff opposition, especially from members of the House from the North. Those who criticised the bill include the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase (Plateau); Majority Whip, Mohammed Monguno (Borno); Ahmad Jaha (Borno), Leke Abejide (Kogi), among others. The legislation is titled ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Youth Service Corps Act, Cap. N84 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Review Upward the Accommodation and Transport Allowances of Corps Members in Line with Current Realities; and for Related Matters.’ The bill, which i...

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, says the commission is not contemplating any adjustment to the election timetable, let alone postponing the 2023 general election. Yakubu stated this at the presentation of an electronic copy of the 93,469,008 voter register to leaders of political parties on Wednesday in Abuja. He said that more than ever before, the commission was more prepared for the 2023 general elections and had now successfully implemented 11 out of the 14 activities on schedule for the elections. “Already, substantial quantities of sensitive and non-sensitive materials have been deployed to various locations across the country. “The last batch of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been received while the ongoing configuration of the critical technology in readiness for elections will soon be completed. “In the last two days, we commenced the airlifting of other sensitive materials to States acro...

The United States Federal Aviation Administration has said that it has lifted a ground stop that brought flights to a virtual standstill earlier on Wednesday morning. A system outage had caused massive disruptions at airports across the United States. “Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the US following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted,” the FAA tweeted. The agency has not immediately indicated what caused the outage but said, “We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem.” All flights across the US were grounded due to a system failure at the FAA. According to a Notice to Airmen, the impact on flights was said to likely be global. The FAA earlier noted that there was no estimated time of restoration and that flights would be unable to resume until resolved. It then ordered all airlines to suspend domestic flight departures until 9am ET. A...

The President, Muhammadu Buhari The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Wednesday, described the Boko Haram group and its attendant ideology — which abhors Western education — as a “fraudulent plot” designed to “destroy Nigeria.” Buhari’s comments come barely 48 hours after he alleged a “deliberate plot” to destroy the country, which failed. Officially known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, the Boko Haram sect is an Islamic terrorist organisation that has troubled Nigeria’s north with targeted bombings and offensives since 2009. Boko Haram, literally translating to “Western Education is forbidden” discourages involvement in any form of secularism, including secular education. According to Buhari, the Nigerian Armed Forces has degraded the sect significantly since 2015. “I just came back from Adamawa and Yobe States. During the visit to both states, I listened carefully to what the people ...