NewsReports

Iranian state-controlled news outlet Tasnim released video Wednesday afternoon that shows a U.S. sailor apologizing for purportedly infringing upon Tehran’s sovereignty. On Tuesday, Iran seized two U.S. naval boats, arguing they illegally entered Iran’s territorial waters. The Pentagon said they encountered mechanical troubles, forcing their boats to go off course. “It was a mistake, it was our fault, and we …

The Federal Government says 41 Nigerians have died following the outbreak of Lassa fever in over 10 states. The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said this at a press briefing jointly organised with the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Abuja on Tuesday. He also said the Federal Government planned to establish an inter-ministerial committee as …

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has assured Nigerians that negotiations are ongoing with a number of countries on the modalities for the repatriation of some looted funds stashed abroad. The minister stated that the Federal Government had been in touch with Switzerland, which he said, had earlier repatriated $700m to Nigeria. He noted that another $300m that was …

As outrage continued to trail the reportedly missing 2016 Budget presented to the joint session of the National Assembly on Tuesday, December 22, 2015, by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidency, on Tuesday night, distanced itself from the missing budget. Disturbed by the raging enquiries posed by Nigerian social media users, following the news of the missing budget, Senior Special Assistant …

Detained National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, has said he is cooperating with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission. The PDP chieftain said he had volunteered statements to the anti-graft agency in which he explained his role in the alleged arms scandal money. Metuh, in a statement by his Special Assistant Mr. Richard Ihediwa, in Abuja …

The largest jackpot in United States history shot up to $1.5bn on Tuesday, driven by record sales as people flock across state lines and international borders to buy tickets, a lottery executive said. To win the jackpot, a ticket holder has to match all numbers on five white balls and one red ball selected at the twice weekly Powerball draw …

The Federal Ministry of Finance says it has successful completed a pilot project of using Bank Verification Number (BVN) details to fish out ghost workers, identity duplication and other irregular entries on the payroll. The Bank Verification Number is a number that uniquely identifies each bank’s customer for “know your customer” KYC purposes. The pilot project was initiated by federal …

A coalition of civil society organisations, under the aegis of Coalition Against Electoral Rights Violation, on Wednesday in Abuja, demanded a reduction in military presence in the Bayelsa State supplementary election scheduled for Saturday. Instead of the military, the group suggested that the Nigeria Police Force and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps should take the leading role during the …

HON JOHN YAKUBU is a former Chairman for Esan North East Local Government Council of Edo State. A strong chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party of Edo State, his bid for a second term generated state wide controversy after the result of the election was allegedly annulled by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC against the trend of collation …

ABUJA — President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration would soon establish an inter-ministerial committee to ensure the speedy reform of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The President stated this at a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Jin-Yong Cai, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday. According to the President, the re-organisation …