Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, says he did not order the military to kill residents of Oyigbo local government area of the state, The Cable reports. Wike declared a 24-hour curfew in Oyigbo on October 21 following the outbreak of violence spilling from the EndSARS protest which led to the killing of some members of the army and the police. The governor, who blamed the unrest on members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), last Wednesday, signed an executive order to enforce the ban on the group and its activities in the state. Soldiers were deployed in the local government to…
Author: meridianspy
Sunday Dare, Minister of Youths and Sports, says the ENDSARS protests exposed the country to the dangers of fake news. Speaking during an interview on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily on Monday, Dare said the question of fake news is bothersome not only in Nigeria but every part of the world. “The protests brought home the dangers of fake news. Several months back, Nobel Laureate Winner, Professor Wole Soyinka said fake news is like the bomb that can destroy the world and it is sure that the bomb will come from Nigeria,” he said. “What happened during the protests…
Sebastian Osigwe, one of the new Super Eagles players, has tested positive for COVID-19. With this development, Osigwe who was expected to make his debut for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone next month, may miss the match due to his COVID-19 status. The club of the Swiss-born Nigerian footballer, FC Lugano confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19, in a statement on Friday. “The management of FC Lugano announces that the tests carried out following the positivity of Mattia Bottani also highlighted the positivity of the goalkeeper Osigwe,” the club of the Swiss Super…
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has admonished journalists in the country to challenge leaders to perform their constitutional responsibilities rather than issuing them awards. Wike gave the admonition when he hosted the national leadership of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) at the government house in Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital, on Friday. “What I have seen of you is that you praise us and give us award because of relationship or friendship. That’s not the way it should be. Challenge us — the people in authority — and we will sit up to our responsibilities,” he said. “We…
There is no government presence in the federal capital territory (FCT). Yes. In fact, there is no such thing as leadership in the FCT. If there was, I would certainly know being a habitué of the city. There are only vulgar structures which are purely administrative habitations of the federal government. Beyond the vast jungle of bricks and glass, the FCT is rudderless. There are many sore points in the ungovernance of the FCT. But I will situate my concerns in only two. Security is in a parlous state and infrastructure is generally decrepit. Derring-do attacks by bandits have become…
There is an agenda to violence — the state’s agenda. The biggest beneficiary of violence in most cases is the government which controls every apparatus of terror. Nothing happens in isolation of executive conspiracy. The infamous connoisseur of terror, Sani Abacha, was once quoted as saying: “If insurgency lasts for more than 24 hours, the government has a hand in it.” Who could have put it better than the grim reaper himself? During the military era, ‘’unknown soldiers and unknown policemen’’ were the agents who executed violence on behalf of the state. Assassinations, bloody clampdowns and even riots – all…
Osun State Government has re-imposed an indefinite 24 hours curfew in the state. This was due to the abuse of the curfew earlier suspended by miscreants who embarked on looting of government and private property across the state. Governor Gboyega Oyetola, the state Governor, made the announcement in a statewide broadcast on Saturday. “It is with a high sense of responsibility that I address you this afternoon in respect of the unfortunate situation in our Dear State. “Government notes with huge disappointment, the abuse of the suspension, a day ago, of the 24-hour curfew earlier declared in the State to…
A yet-to-be-identified teenage boy has died after falling off a moving truck during the #EndSARS protest in Sapele, Delta State. The 13-year-old boy, according to an eyewitness, jumped on the back of the moving truck that was headed out of Sapele, fell off and died of injuries sustained. “He jumped on a moving truck that was heading outside town and the next thing was that he fell from the back of the moving truck and before we could rush him to the clinic, he died,” a witness said. The corpse of the young boy was wrapped in a Nigerian flag…
Sabo Nanono, Minister of Agriculture, has said Nigeria is now the largest producer of rice in Africa. Nanono stated this at an event to mark the 2020 World Food Day, in Abuja on Tuesday. “Significant progress has been made to improve agricultural productivity since the inception of the present administration. “To boost food security, Nigeria has curbed imports and has established a robust rice production programme to encourage more rice production at home,” he said. “Efforts in this direction are starting to show results as Nigeria is now Africa’s largest producer of rice. The country is also the largest producer…
The trial of Instagram socialite, Ramon Olorunwa Abass, popularly known as Hushpuppi, who is facing cybercrime charges in the United State, has been postponed to May, 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic. According to the chambers orders of Judge Otis Wright released September 23, the jury trial will continue by 9:00 a.m. on May 4, 2021,” Premium Times reports. Across the globe, the respiratory disease has been contracted by over 35 million people and has killed more than 1 million persons. Apart from the economic challenges the pandemic has posed as a result of lockdown and some restrictions, it has affected…
Week to the Ondo State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has identified 270 flashpoints across polling units in the state. Festus Okoye, INEC national commissioner and chairman of the information and voter education committee, told The Punch in an interview, that the identified flashpoints are situated in 62 creeks in the riverine areas of Ese-Odo and Ilaje local government areas of the state. Okoye said the commission will, however, deploy security agents to help prevent the menace of rigging and electoral violence in those areas. “The police, navy and other security agencies have been mandated…
Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue State, has queried the Federal Government’s planned construction of a rail line to link Nigeria and its neighbour, Niger Republic. The government had approved $1.9 billion for the construction of the rail line from Kano to Niger. It, however, created public disquiet as many questioned the economic viability of such project. While clarifying that the rail line will not go beyond Nigeria’s borders, Garba Shehu, Media Aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, explained that it will facilitate the movement of raw materials, mineral resources and agricultural produce from the areas to be linked. “The objective of…