Author: The Gazelle News

Serving Senator and the Governorship Candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Senator Bassey Albert Akpan, has been sentenced to 42 years in prison for corruption. A Federal High Court in Uyo, on Thursday, 1 December, 2022, convicted and sentenced Mr Albert  /popularly called OBA. He was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. He has been taken to Ikot Ekpene prisons, Akwa Ibom State to serve his prison term. Albert, a serving Senator representing Akwa Ibom North East District, was accused of receiving bribes of 12 cars worth N254 million from an oil marketer, Olajide Omokore, during his…

Nigeria has become the number one country in Africa to have enhanced e-passport while it currently sits in the number five position on the global list. The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola disclosed this on Tuesday, 29 November, 2022 during the launching of the enhanced e-Passport and Passport Production Centre for Nigerians in Canada. Giving further insight into the significant of the enhanced e-Passport, Aregbesola said the document is the latest technology in identity documentation, passport administration and issuance. “It comes in various categories, including the 64-page-10-year validity Passport which is quite convenient for frequent travellers. It is…

A senior staff of Golden Olive Academy has disclosed that the father of Aisha, a minor alleged to have been abused, once complained to their school management about the attitude of the driver who regularly takes his daughter to and fro from school back home. PRNigeria gathered that one Aunty Zara, who is a teacher at the Academy, was reportedly said to have abused Aisha. According to the staff, who asked not to be named because he is not permitted to speak to the press on the incident, the father of Aisha told their school management that he was planning…

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was the special guest at Baptist Academy in Obanikoro, on Tuesday, where he identified with a noble cause. The Governor inaugurated a 140-bed hall of residence built by an old student of the missionary school. The single-storey dormitory named “Kikelomo Hall” was donated to the school by Mr. Ayodeji Fadoju of 1988 set. The edifice is named after the donor’s mother. Sanwo-Olu commissioned the students’ hostel amidst ecstatic jubilation by pupils, their teachers and members of Baptist Academy Old Students’ Association (BAOSA). The Governor said the project represented a “befitting…

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Wednesday, 30 November, 2022, inaugurated two new commissioners and a Special Adviser amid a minor cabinet reshuffle. The newly inaugurated commissioners are Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu and Abubakar Saddiq Buhari. Cabinet-returnee Modibbo-Kawu got the Education portfolio again, while Buhari is to man the Ministry of Communications. The Governor also swore-in the new Special Adviser on Special Duties Alhaji Abdul-Razhaq Abubakar Jiddah. AbdulRazaq also announced a minor cabinet reshuffle involving five commissioners: Alhaji Wahab Femi Agbaje who moved from Water to Energy; Mariam Ahmed Hassana from Energy to Women Affairs; Abdulmaliq…

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has assured the manufacturers of non-alcoholic beverages in Nigeria that the National Assembly will address their concerns with respect to the implementation of the Finance Act 2022. The Finance Act 2022, among other things, imposes 10 percent tax on non-alcoholic beverages. Top officials of major players in the industry, drawn from Seven-Up Bottling Company Limited, La Casera Company, Rite Foods Limited and Nigerian Bottling Company Limited, complained to the leadership of the Senate on Wednesday that the tax burden could lead to the collapse of the sector. Receiving the visitors in his office,…

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has advocated the institution of civic education in school curriculum to highlight the evils in vote selling and vote buying at elections and discourage citizens from engaging in them. Lawan made the remarks when a group known as Polling Unit Ambassadors of Nigeria paid him a visit at the National Assembly on Wednesday. The leader of the group, Ambassador General Dabas Suleiman told the Senate President that his members were out to sensitize and discourage vote selling and vote buying at elections in the country. He said they would register their presence in…

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has made a strong case for a better funding arrangement for the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission(RMAFC). Lawan spoke in Abuja while playing host to RMAFC members led by the chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Shehu who complained of poor funding of the Commission. The Senate President suggested a forum “where all the three tiers of government will be represented and a major decision has to be taken that RMAFC should be funded better. “Definitely there has to be a conscious effort at pulling some reasonable and significant resources for RMAFC to be…

As part of showing love to humanity, health personnel at the Giwa Barracks detention Centre in Borno State have been helping pregnant wives of detained Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists to deliver their children successfully, PRNigeria has gathered. The detention facility has also been providing the children of their detainees the necessary care for their physical growth. A PRNigeria reporter who visited the Borno barracks recently observed that the detention centre prioritizes giving necessary ante-natal support to pregnant Boko Haram fighters’ wives brought to the facility. The health facility at the barracks has successfully handled the childbirth of two women,…

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Wednesday, 30 November, 2022, laid the 2023 budget estimates before the state parliament, restating the administration’s commitment to inclusive growth. The size of the 2023 budget is N189,436,248,054.00, with a recurrent expenditure of 49.1% and capital component of 50.9%, he said. “This is a budget of economic expansion and sustainable development,” the Governor said, adding that the fiscal document focuses on strengthening the current gains and is built around the Kwara State Sustainable Development Plan 2021-2030, Medium Term Sector Strategy 2021-2023 and citizens’ need Assessments. “Today, I stand before this…

The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be rallying in Bayelsa State ‪on Thursday, 1 December, 2022‬. The Yenagoa rally is in continuation of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s campaign trail around the country to gather support for his 2023 presidential bid. On arrival in the state, Tinubu; his Running Mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, and the entire team would begin the campaign visit with a courtesy call on the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council. From there, they would proceed to the Oxbow Lake venue of the rally, where Tinubu and other leaders of the party would address the…

Justice Ramon Oshodi of the Sexual Offences Court in Ikeja on Wednesday, 30 November, 2022, has remanded embattled Medical Director of Optimal Cancer Care Foundation in Ikoyi, Dr. Olufemi Olaleye in Ikoyi Correctional Facility. He was remanded following denial of allegation of a two-count charge of defilement and sexual penetration against a minor. The defendant pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. The judge however granted him bail in the sum of N50 million with two sureties in like sum, the sureties must have landed property in Lagos State. Both sureties must also provide evidence of tax payment in the last…

Kwara State Government has said that the N3,529,734,298.96 SURE-P (ECA) Refund it received on behalf of the 16 local government areas will go into paying parts of the arrears of unpaid salaries to SUBEB teachers, local government workers, and other categories of workers and officials. “In line with the administration’s commitment to use any extra funds to steadily offset the arrears owed to the SUBEB and local government workers and other categories of persons owed by the past administration, a decision has been taken to use the N3.5bn SURE-P Refund to pay the workers. This is a show…

Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority Healthcare Development and Investment Company (NHDIC) has signed an agreement with the Kwara State Government on its Diagnostics and Oncology Expansion Programme to build, equip, maintain, and operate a private modern medical diagnostic centre and catheterisation lab in Ilorin. Kwara State is in the first phase of the programme along with Kaduna and Enugu states, with each centre running as a joint venture between Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and the respective states. The programme is designed to curb medical tourism by providing Kwarans and Nigerians with access to world-class healthcare delivery. …

All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has commiserated with former Sokoto State governor, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, over the death of his wife, Hajiya Atika Wamakko, describing her passage as saddening. In a condolence message to Senator Wamakko released by his Media Office on Wednesday, 30 November, 2022, Asíwájú Tinubu wished Hajiya Wamakko eternal rest. He said: “I received the news about the passing of Hajiya Atika Wamakko, the beloved wife of Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, with deep sadness. “On behalf of my family, I express my deepest condolences to the former governor of Sokoto and his…

Operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Tuesday, 29 November, 2022 arrested another two suspected abductors and rescued a female victim inside their car around Pedesbytrian Church, Yaba, Lagos The General Manager of LASTMA Mr. Bolaji Oreagba stated that the two suspected abductors were arrested by a team of LASTMA personnel from Somolu zone while on patrol monitoring traffic around Yaba axis. “Our officers on patrol and with the help from passersby chased and apprehended a Toyota Corolla saloon car (FST 60 RJ) after a lady at the back seat was heard shouting Kidnappers! Kidnappers!! Kidnappers after…

Nigerians living in Canada will now have access to the highly coveted 64-page 10-year validity passport as the Federal Government on Tuesday, 29 November, 2022 rolled out the new enhanced passport and commissioned the central Passport Production Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Speaking during the launch in Canada, Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, stated that Nigeria is amongst the first five countries in the world to have this enhanced passport and the first in Africa. “The enhanced version we are presenting is the latest technology in identity documentation. It comes with additional security and in various categories, including the…

A viral photograph showing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and U.S. President Joe Biden in talks at the White House has been disowned by the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council. According to the Council in a statement, “the fake picture is the latest in the series of misinformation being dished out by the political opposition”. The statement stated further that, “We cannot just fathom the purpose of the mischief and the falsehood, which emanated  from the rabid followers of Peter Obi. “The apparently photo-shopped image surfaced Tuesday night, on the heels of news that Asiwaju will embark on a foreign…

To decimate terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements that may want to infiltrate the state and others it shares boundaries with, the Kogi State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese investors for the provision of a first-of-its-kind high technology security architecture that will capture movements in and out of Kogi State from a control centre. The state government said, in sealing this laudable security control deal, all stakeholders, including the Army, Department of State Services, Navy, Police and local vigilantes, among others, were carried along. The Chief Executive Officer, Kogi State Investment Promotion and Public Private Partnership…