No fewer than 20 Army Generals have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. This is coming one week after the death of Maj. Gen. John Irefin, General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, who died from complications arising from the disease. MERIDIAN SPY reported week ago late Irefin slumped and died during the Chief of Army Staff’s annual conference 2020, in Abuja. The death of the Army General had led to the event been truncated. The infected Generals however, reportedly had contact with the deceased. The conference was attended by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the…
Author: meridianspy
Malam Adamu Adamu, Minister of Education, has expressed concern over the decline in the standard of education in the country. Speaking at the official commissioning of completed projects in a college in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, Adamu said a number of graduates can neither read nor write in a tolerable manner. The Education Minister who was represented by the Director of Tertiary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Hajia Rakiya Gambo Iliyasu said the situation was a cause for concern. He added that students and teachers need to sit up and face their tasks squarely if the situation is to be…
Godwin Obaseki, Edo State Governor, says Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), prayed for him and assured him of his victory in the September 19 governorship election. Obaseki defeated his main rival in the governorship poll and an RCCG pastor, Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The Cable reports during the testimony session at this year’s RCCG Holy Ghost Congress, held along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, on Friday, the Governor said he visited Adeboye on two different occasions before the election. “When it looked impossible and when men rose, He (God) came out to say that He is God and…
Nigeria is an exceptionally intolerant country – religion-wise. In fact, the country is next to Iran on the religious intolerance threshold. You could get killed, threatened, hounded, harassed and victimised for going against the religious orthodoxies. The two major religions in Nigeria – Christianity and Islam — bubble with the most fanatical of followers who elect themselves ‘’defenders of God’’. In their inquisition, death is the penalty for every perceived breach of the holy canons. There is no other way. Over the years Nigeria has been on the US watch-list for religious intolerance. I must say, this problem has always…
The World Bank has projected that the number of poor people in Nigeria would increase from the current 90 million to about 100 million by 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s economy. The World Bank gave the projection during its Nigeria Development Update virtual event, which had the theme ‘Rising to the challenge: Nigeria’s COVID-19 response’. The global bank stated that by 2022, about 11 million more Nigerians were expected to fall into poverty due to the COVID-19 crisis. Marco Hernandez, an economist with the bank, explained his presentation at the event, that before…
Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), has collapsed before a Federal High Court in Abuja where he is being tried on charges of money laundering. Maina slumped few minutes into the trial on Thursday while sitting beside the defendant’s dock. This development led Justice Okon Abang of the court to suspend proceedings. More details.
There are strong indications that President Muhammadu Buhari may not appear before the House of Representatives on Thursday as earlier scheduled, Vanguard reports. It will be recalled that the House had on December 1 reached a resolution via a motion to invite the President to the national assembly. The invitation followed the killing of over 43 rice farmers in Zarbamari village, Borno State penultimate Saturday. The Presidency had last week agreed that the President will honor the invitation. On Monday, the main opposition People’s Democratic Party PDP’s caucus led by Hon. Kingsley Chinda from Rivers State in a statement asked…
Bashir Mohammed, the lawmaker representing Nguroje Constituency in Taraba State House of Assembly, has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen. Mohammed was said to have been kidnapped at about 1. 30am on Wednesday when the heavily armed gunmen numbering more than 10 stormed his residence in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital. They shot sporadically for over 45 minutes before kidnapping the lawmaker. While no family member was hurt in the attack, it was learnt that the kidnappers forced the lawmaker into one of the two vehicles used by them.
The Federal Government has clarified that it made no promise to pay the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) before they call off their month-long strike. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour, made the clarification in a statement on Tuesday, in reaction to statement by Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU president, that the federal government failed to deliver on the timelines on offers made to the union and that lecturers would not resume work until their salary arrears are paid. Ngige explained that on the part of the government, all timelines have been complied with and “faithfully implemented”. He added that ASUU had…
The Federal Government has reacted to United States decision to blacklist Nigeria for “engaging in systematic, ongoing, egregious religious freedom violations”. While no reason was given for blacklisting Nigeria, Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State who announced the measure, said his country will continue to act when “religious freedom is attacked”. Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, reacting in a statement on Tuesday, described the allegation as a case of “honest disagreement between the two nations on the causes of violence in Nigeria”. “Nigeria does not engage in religious freedom violation, neither does it have a policy of religious…
The Nigerian government deregulated the downstream petroleum sector with effect from March 19, 2020. The key argument was that the fuel subsidy regime which gulps billions of Naira annually, had become unrealistic and unsustainable. One or two months later, with the impact of COVID-19 biting hard, disruptions in the global demand and supply chain turning everything askew and the corresponding effect of these factors on government revenue which had dipped terribly, government pointed to additional justifications for its action. It was further argued that the subsidy regime benefits the rich at the expense of the poor. The effect, as explained…
Security operatives have laid siege around the Lekki Tollgate Plaza over possible resumption of ENDSARS protest in the country. Commuters confirmed to MERIDIAN SPY armed police officers and soldiers were deployed to the area around Sunday midnight and set themselves in strategic places in the plaza. It was also learnt that youths have started gathering around the area to resume the protest. It would be recalled in October, youths across some parts of the country had marched out against police brutality and abuse of human rights. After about two weeks of peaceful demonstration, the protest ended following hijack by hoodlums…