A former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Professor of Political Science, Bolaji Akinyemi, has stated that the intervention of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in restoring democracy in Niger is in a bid to stop spread of coups in the sub region. The body placed sanctions on the Niger military junta following the ouster of president Mohammed Bazoum in a coup on July 26. Speaking on Channels TV Politics Today on Monday, Akinyemi said there has to be a line following military coups in other West African countries like Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea. He said,…
Author: meridianspy
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, has urged Nigerians to prepare themselves for potential “miracles or shocking” outcomes from the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT. Expressing concerns over the public’s heightened expectations, Ohanaeze pointed out the disappointment experienced after the 2023 presidential election. The body warned that a similar scenario may unfold following the tribunal’s verdict. A statement by Ohanaeze’s factional Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, reads partly: “Nigerians are urged to ready themselves for conceivable shocks or miracles that may arise from the decision of the tribunal judges. “Ohanaeze Ndigbo acknowledges the widespread optimism that accompanied the 2023 election due…
The Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and the Tucks Transit Parks, TTP, have introduced a mandatory N50.00 stamp duty payment on every N1,000 receipt issued to truck drivers. The management of TTP stated in a notification to all stakeholders yesterday that the NPA has instructed TTP to start implementing the instruction on the denotation of all issued receipts of N1,000.00 and above in value with N50.00. According to TTP, the directive was a Federal Ministry of Finance regulation that was distributed to all heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies roughly two years ago. Part of the notice reads: “ In…
The Lagos State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences Unit, yesterday, vowed to apprehend and prosecute anyone accused of operating an unlicensed vehicle mart in an unapproved area of the state. At the agency’s offices in the state’s Bolade Oshodi region, Chief Superintendent of Police Shola Jejeloye, the agency’s chairman, revealed this. Jejeloye voiced alarm over the frequency and manner in which car sellers have turned gardens, walks, lay-bys, and other unauthorised locations into car lots. He pointed out that these conversions were not included in the state government’s initial master plan. The task force boss, who described…
Two teachers were murdered when bandits stormed a secondary school in the Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State. According to information obtained, the fatalities were a young married couple who worked as teachers at the BECO Comprehensive Secondary school in the municipal district’s Kwi hamlet. Eyewitnesses said the incident happened on Monday afternoon when the school was holding a meeting to compile results of students for delivery on Friday, 18th August during their “Speech and Prize Giving Day in line with the school’s calendar. A youth leader in the community, Moses Gwott who confirmed the killings to The…
The Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited’s retail division has denied claims that it is working on a fresh plan to increase the price of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol. The NNPCL asked customers in a message sent on its X page, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday to ignore rumours that there are new plans to increase the price of petrol from the current N617 per litre to between N720 and N750 per litre. It said, “Dear esteemed customers, we at NNPCL Retail value your patronage, and we do not have the intention to increase our PMS pump prices…
Six soldiers from Niger and ten suspected terrorists lost their lives in a harrowing clash on Sunday in the western region of the country. Six Niger soldiers and 10 “terrorists” were killed on Sunday during fighting in the west of the country, authorities said. Suspected jihadists on motorbikes ambushed the troops near the western town of Sanam on Sunday, according to a statement issued by the National Guard High Command. Sanam is in the Tillaberi tri-border area where Niger meets Mali and Burkina Faso, a region where jihadist attacks are common. On August 9, five soldiers were killed in an…
… demands for nominal roll of staff state by state The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating employment racketeering by Ministries Departments and Agencies and Mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System IPPIS on Monday queried the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) over what is described as lopsided employment in the agency. The House probe panel had demanded that the agency immediately submit to it the list of all staff employed between 2015- 2023 and decried lack of adherence to extant regulation of the nation’s public service as it was discovered by the…
The West African bloc ECOWAS on Monday denounced threats made by the military junta of Niger to bring charges against ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, claiming that such threats were in direct opposition to the government’s stated desire to end the conflict amicably. The coup leaders who overthrew Bazoum, Late on Sunday announced that they had amassed sufficient evidence to bring charges against him for “high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.” This, it said, was based on “contacts” Bazoum had had with “nationals… foreign heads of state… (and) officials in international organisations.” In a statement on…
The Labour Party, LP, National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, reiterated the party’s confidence in the court to render the appropriate judgement in advance of the decision of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT. At the opening of the Local Government Areas, or LGAs, Caretaker Committees, and the showcasing of the LP’s key projects for 2023, he said as much on Sunday in Lagos. Abure commended Lagosians for shunning tribalism for a new Nigeria by voting massively for the party during the last general elections in the state. The LP chairman accused the All Progressive Congress, APC, of stealing mandate…
Terrorists—commonly referred to as bandits—have attacked a military jet used for surveillance near the village of Badna Chukuba in Niger State’s Shiroro Local Government Area, according to WikkiTimes The terrorists who shot down the jet were followers of Dogo Gide, a gang leader who terrorises the states of Kaduna and Niger, according to a local in the village, despite the fact that facts of the incident are still fuzzy as of the time of publication. Although details of the incident remain sketchy at press time, a local around the village revealed that the terrorists who took down the jet…
The Organised Labour has pledged to go ahead with a complete and indefinite nationwide strike if the government should the current 617 naira pump price for petrol be increased again in a manner it deems “illegal.” At the African Trade Union Alliance conference on Monday in Abuja, organised labour also issued a warning against undercutting the union’s demands, NLC President Joe Ajaero announced the notification. The Merodian Spy had earlier reported that oil marketers on Sunday indicated that the cost of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, would rise to between N680/lite and N720/litre in the coming weeks should…