Tag: Nigeria newspaper
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Banks, offices shut for ‘Isese’ Day celebration in Osun
Banks, government offices and other establishments in Osun were under not open for business on Tuesday, as workers observed public holiday declared by the state for the celebration of traditional religion or “Isese’’ Day.
A Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who visited banks, state and local government secretariats in Osogbo reports that all activities were suspended as no staff of the establishments was seen in the offices.
The only people one could see were the security officials that manned their duty posts.
Bank doors were shut, while offices at the Olorunda and Osogbo Local Government secretariats, as well as the state secretariat, Abere, all in Osogbo, where also closed.
The day has been set aside for workers to stay at home to observe the holiday.
However, the Federal Government establishments were open for businesses, as the state holiday was not binding and not a national holiday.
Markets within the state and other private business equally carried out their business activities, as the holiday directive was hardly complied to or totally ignored.
A food stuff seller at Akindeko market in Osogbo, Mr Juliana Olorunfemi, said she was not even aware of the Isese Day let alone the public holiday announced to celebrate it.
Read Also; Organisers of Osun Cultural carnival announce new plans
“I am an entrepreneur, I am not a civil servant, so I am not privileged or entitled to any holiday except I just want to rest at home on such days or any other day that I so chose.
“Again I am not a traditionalist and I don’t practice their faith, so I don’t know that they even have holiday for their own celebration.
“It is only Muslim and Christian holidays I am aware of, and as you can see, the market is full and other market people are selling their goods, showing that majority, if not all of us, are not taking part in any Isese Day celebration,’’ she said.
NAN reports that the state government on Monday, announced Tuesday as a state holiday to commemorate the state annual traditional worshippers day known as the Isese Day.
Isese Day is set aside by the Osun Government for traditional worshipers to celebrate their deities with festivities; the day being the peak of all traditional religious activities and festivities.
The government in a statement by the Supervisor, Osun Ministry of Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Dr Obawale Adebisi, appealed to the traditional worshipers to be peaceful and law abiding in their conduct during and after the festive period.
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BREAKING: Supreme Court suspends proceedings, to rule on Atiku, PDP’s appeal seeking permission to INEC server
The Supreme Court has suspended proceedings to rule on an appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last presidential election, for permission to be allowed access to a supposed server owned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) had on June 24, 2019 dismissed an application by Atiku and the PDP requesting permission to have access to the central server, which they claimed INEC used for the February 23 poll.
It is the decision of June 24 that Atiku and the PDP now appealed at the Supreme Court.
A panel of the Supreme Court (led by Justice Datijo Mohammed after taking arguments from Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, (for the appellants); Yunus Usman, SAN, (for INEC); Wole Olanipekun, SAN, (for President Muhammadu Buhari) and Charles Edosomwan, SAN, (for the All Progressives Congress), rose briefly to consider the arguments and return for its decision.
Read Also: Supreme Court strikes out Atiku, PDP’s appeal
The Election Petition Court, at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, had, while dismissing the application by Atiku and the PDP, held that INEC, having denied the existence of the said server and insisted that results of the election were not electronically transmitted into any server as claimed by the petitioners (Atiku and PDP), granting the application would amount to deciding the central issue in the petition at the interlocutory stage.
The court’s Presiding Justice, Justice Mohammed Garba, who read the ruling, added that granting the application would imply that the court had “indeed recognised and found out that there is a central server into which results of the held on February 23, 2019 were electronically transmitted by the 1st respondent (INEC).”
Details shortly.
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APC replaces suspended Adamawa executives
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State has filled vacancies created by the suspension of three members.
The party had last week suspended Aliyu Bakari (Vice Chairman Adamawa Central), Saidu Naira (State Financial Secretary) and Babangida Talasai (party chairman of Mayo-Belwa) allegedly for trying to withdraw a petition which the APC filed against the state Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, questioning his election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last governorship election.
A press statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Hon Mohammed Abdullahi, named Abdullahi Wali, an ex-Officio, to coordinate the Adamawa Central Zone of the party as acting Zonal Vice Chairman.
Read Also: APC, Fayose bicker over alleged plot to disrupt Udiroko festival
According to the statement, Mr Medan Kaigama who had been the Assistant Financial Secretary is to serve as acting State Financial Secretary, while Mr David Majo, hitherto the party’s vice chairman in Mayo-Belwa Local Government Area, is to serve as the Acting council Chairman.
All the appointments are with effect from August 16, 2019.
They would be expected to remain in their respective positions for at least six months when the suspension slammed on two of the three affected members, Saidu Naira and Babangida Talasai, will last. Aliyu Bakari’s suspension is indefinite.
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BREAKING: EFCC raids Ambode’s residence
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are raiding the Epe residence of immediate past Lagos Governor Akinwumi Ambode.
According to online medium, TheCable, the raid has been confirmed by EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade.
Details shortly…
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Woman jailed 30 years for having stillbirth acquitted after 3 years
A Salvadoran court on Monday acquitted a woman accused of homicide after giving birth to a stillborn baby in a case that drew international attention to the socially conservative nation’s strict abortion ban.
Evelyn Hernandez, 21, was previously convicted of intentionally inducing an abortion and had already served three years of a 30-year prison sentence.
“Thank God, justice was done,” Hernandez, in tears, told a cheering crowd outside the courthouse. “There are many women who are still locked up and I call for them to be freed soon, too.”
In February, the Supreme Court ordered Hernandez released and retried, saying that the original judge’s decision was based on prejudice and insufficient evidence.
Hernandez was raped by a gang member and said she was unaware of her pregnancy until just shortly before she gave birth to a stillborn son in April 2016.
“This is a resounding victory for the rights of women in El Salvador,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Americas director, said about the verdict.
Some 147 Salvadoran women have been sentenced to up to 40 years in prison in such cases between 2000 and 2014, according to the Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion, a local rights group.
The group said it will seek fresh reviews of at least 16 similar cases.
Women prosecuted under El Salvador’s hard-line abortion laws include those who have suffered stillbirths after home deliveries as well as abortions induced because of medical emergencies.
Read Also; Court restrains AGF, ICPC from seizing ex-Zamfara governor Yari’s assets
Hernandez’s case attracted international attention and came nearly three months after President Nayib Bukele took office pledging a softer approach to abortion in a country that bans any intentional termination of a pregnancy.
At a university forum during the campaign, Bukele said he favoured legal abortion in cases where the life of the mother is at risk, a position that represented a significant shift for the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic and evangelical country’s abortion politics.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that there are many more women whose liberty has been unjustly taken from them. We’re moving forward, and we want to keep fighting for the freedom of the others just like we were able to do for Evelyn,” said Hernandez’s lawyer, Bertha Deleon.
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BREAKING: Supreme Court strikes out Atiku, PDP’s appeal
The Supreme Court has struck out an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last presidential election.
The appeal marked SC/738/2019 was filed against a ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), in which it held that the Atiku and the PDP do not have a reply to an application filed on May 14, 2019 by the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking among others, the dismissal of their (Atiku and the PDP) challenging President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory at the last presidential election.
In a ruling on Tuesday, a five-man panel led by Justice Datijo Mohammed, struck out the appeal for having become statute barred.
Details shortly…
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FG confirms Tosan Erhabour as MLSCN boss
Federal Government has confirmed the appointment of Mr Tosan Erhabour as the substantive Registrar/CEO of Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN).
This was contained in a statement signed by the Head, Corporate Affairs Unit of MLSCN, Mrs Fidelia Ginikanwa, on Monday.
Ginikanwa said the Registrar, who is 55-years-old, hailed from Edo and attended the School of Medical Technology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital in Benin City, Edo.
He received an award as the best graduating student in Hematology and Blood Group Serology and became an associate member of the Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology of Nigeria in 1990 and became a fellow of the Institute in 1994.
According to her, Erhabour later got a master degree in medical laboratory science with specialty in hematology from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma in 2003.
She said Erhabor is a seasoned medical laboratory scientist and civil servant with 27 years working experience.
He started his working career as a lecturer in 1992 at the school of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin, Edo.
In 1997, he transferred his service to the then Institute of medical laboratory science technology Lagos, as a principal medical laboratory scientist.
He rose through the ranks to become director and head of department, External Quality Assurance (EQA).
She said he became the Acting Registrar/CEO of MLSCN after the demise of late Mrs Olufunke Omotuyi, on June 15, 2016 being the most senior ranking officer as at that time.
A post he held tenaciously before his confirmation as substantive registrar of the council on Aug. 19, effective from June 9, 2019 by the governing board of the council.
He is married and blessed with five children.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the appointment was renewable after four years.
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BBNaija: Cruisetopia, Frodd up for possible eviction
Housemates in ‘Cruisetopia’ group and Frodd are up for possible eviction in the ongoing fourth season of the Big Brother Naija reality show.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group lost this nomination task to ‘The Icons’ who were up for eviction last week.
Housemates up for possible Eviction this week are Diane, Frodd, Jackye, Gedoni, Mercy, Mike and Seyi.
Although Frodd is a member of the winning team ‘The Icons’, he was placed on the eviction list by Elozonam, who saved Venita with the power of chance card.
For five minutes, ‘The Icons’ and team ‘Cruisetopia’ were Tasked to a Challenge which involved each and every team member’s participation, including the head of house, Esther.
There were two marked rectangular boxes for each team, each rectangular box had a large bucket of coloured water and ten small silver cups.
Read Also: Ex-BBNaija (S4) housemate reveals reasons for not having relationship while in show
The teams were required to fill as much of the silver cups as possible in the frame of five minutes.
The Challenge involved the Housemates climbing Biggie’s ‘obstacles’. Biggie had some deliberate ‘steps’ obstacle on the course to tighten the game.
Using their carefully thought out strategies, each team had to fill the silver cups one at a time.
Following Biggie’s rules, each cup had to be filled to the brim before the team could proceed to the next cup – all to be done within the marked box.
For this Challenge, teaspoons were provided for the purpose of transporting the water.
NAN reports that as the game hit day 51, housemates pull out strategies to increase chances of winning the 60 million Naira Grand Prize.
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Wizkid becomes first African to hit 8m monthly listeners on Spotify
Afropop star, Ayodeji Balogun aka Wizkid has become the first African artist to hit eight million monthly streams on Spotify.
Spotify is an online, music streaming platform that pays royalties based on the number of artists streams as a proportion of total songs streamed.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that streaming records revealed Wizkid’s popularity on the platform on Monday.
The previous record was held by Congolese rapper and singer, Maitre Gims. He had seven million monthly listeners.
This win follows Wizkid’s recent collaboration with DJ Spinall and Tiwa Savage on ‘Dis Love’.
Read Also; Seeing Wizkid and Olamide together makes me happy
The singer also featured on ‘Like,’ a new single by British-Ghanaian rapper and singer, Kojo Funds.
The music star is also the first African artist to walk the runway at a Dolce and Gabbana fashion show while his music `Soco’ played at the background.
Wizkid started recording music at age 11 and managed to release a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group he and a couple of his church friends formed.
In 2018, he became the first African artiste to sell out Skyway Theatre. The only other artist who has achieved same feat in Minnesota, is Beyonce .
The ‘Sweet Love’ singer recently made Billboard entry for his collaboration with Beyonce on her ‘Lion King’-inspired album.