Daily COVID Tracker: NCDC logs 268 new infections — but zero deaths in six days
Nigeria on Wednesday recorded 268 cases of COVID-19. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Thursday. WHO: Countries must act now to prevent spread of Omicron The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the Omicron COVID variant has now been detected in 57 countries. Speaking at a news briefing on Wednesday, Tedros Adhanom […]
‘How I was branded anti-Muslim at NEITI’ — startling revelation in Waziri Adio’s memoir
Though himself a Muslim, Waziri Adio said some fellow Muslims at the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) ganged up against him when he directed that every member of staff should start logging their out-of-office movements during work hours. He narrated the experience in ‘The Arc of the Possible’, his memoir on his […]
Lagos unveils monthly rent scheme with N5bn allocation
The Lagos government says it has put in place N5 billion to kickstart the state’s monthly tenancy scheme in January 2022. Rabiu Olowo, commissioner for finance, disclosed this on Wednesday during a panel discussion at the Lagos real estate market place conference and exhibition, held in Lagos. The two-day event, organised by […]
WHO: Omicron COVID variant now in 57 countries — number expected to rise
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the Omicron COVID variant has now been detected in 57 countries. Omicron — labelled a “variant of concern” — was detected by South African authorities and subsequently reported to the WHO. There are reports that the variant had been earlier detected in the Netherlands before the announcement […]
CJN: Odili home invasion embarrassing… we’ve had enough of such harassment
Ibrahim Muhammad, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), says harassment of judicial officers will no longer be tolerated. He said this on Wednesday in reaction to the invasion of the home of Mary Odili, a justice of the supreme court, in October. Speaking at an event to mark the 2021/2022 legal year of […]
Oromoni’s death: I share the anger and grief… justice will be done, says Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has promised a thorough investigation into the death of Sylvester Oromoni, a student of Dowen College, Lagos. Oromoni, a 12-year-old boy, was alleged to have been attacked for refusing to join a cult group — a claim which the school has denied. Three students have been arrested by the […]
Omicron: The world is better prepared to tackle potentially bad variants, says Bill Gates
Bill Gates, billionaire businessman and co-founder of Microsoft, says the world is better prepared to handle new COVID variants such as Omicron. There have been concerns worldwide over the effects of Omicron, which has been designated as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Travel from several countries — […]
Finance bill: FG to tax profits made by Twitter, AliExpress in Nigeria
The federal government has proposed the collection of companies income tax (CIT) from profits made by foreign digital companies with “significant presence” in the country. The 2021 Finance Bill which was transmitted to the national assembly also empowered the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to administer the tax. The bill is for […]
I won’t resign over jailbreaks, says Aregbesola
Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, says he won’t resign over the recent jailbreaks across the country. Aregbesola spoke with state house correspondents on Wednesday at the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. There has been a series of jailbreaks at different custodial centres across […]
Sokoto: 23 travellers burnt to death in bus attack
The Sokoto government says 23 persons died of injuries sustained from burns after bandits shot at a bus conveying travellers from Sokoto to Kaduna. Muhammad Bello, spokesman to Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto, confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday. The occupants of the vehicle were said to have been attacked […]