NewsReports

• Experts expect CBN to raise interest rate next week• High-interest rate hurting economy, warns CPPE• Economists say fiscal authorities not doing enough The cost-of-living crisis confronting the majority of Nigerians may have further worsened as inflation hits another new height in close to three decades. The headline inflation, in March, edged up to 33.69 per cent just as food inflation remained …

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip on Thursday, with officials poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after U.S. President Joe Biden ordered …

BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was in serious but stable condition Thursday, a hospital official said, after the populist leader was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt that shook the small country and reverberated across the continent weeks before European elections. A suspect was in custody, and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said Wednesday that an initial …

•Accuse them of misappropriating LG funds•Asks Tinubu to immediately stop allocation of funds to caretaker c’ttees The Senate yesterday accused state governors of misappropriating funds allocated to local government councils in Nigeria, saying that arm of government was dead in the country. It also said the dream of achieving the objectives of the local government system has encountered harsh realities …

• 10% of vehicles on roads for conversion to CNG The process for nationwide deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles has commenced. Not less than 530 buses are to be deployed by the end of the month in six pioneering states. These are Oyo, Lagos, Kwara, Kogi, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Programme Director of the …

The Senate on Wednesday approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to obtain a loan of $500 million to finance the mass metering programme of the federal government. The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, announced the approval after a majority of the lawmakers supported it through a voice vote. The loan was considered and approved by the …

Organised Labour yesterday walked out of the minimum wage negotiation after rejecting the government and the Organized Private Sector, OPS, new minimum wage proposals of N48,000 and N54, 000 respectively. Under the umbrella of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, Labour described the government’s proposal of N48,000 as not only insulting the sensibilities of …

By Eben Enasco Edo State House of Assembly is considering a bill to domesticate the Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in the State, 2023. The bill, which was recently introduced in the spirit of uniformity, alignment, and harmony, aims to enhance the welfare of teachers in the state. House Majority Leader, Hon. Charity Aiguobarueghian, flagged off the debate, urging members …

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has initiated a peace-building process to resolve the issue between His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolopkolo, Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin, and some suspended Enigie. Speaking with journalists after a meeting with some Enigie in Edo South Senatorial District, held at the residence of Prof. Gregory Akenzua in Benin City, …

Petrol stations are to have points of sale for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), said yesterday. The agency’s Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed, broke the news to reporters after a meeting with high volume suppliers of petroleum products in Abuja. He said the proposal is to align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s CNG initiative and …