Author: VOP Lagos

The US last week paused a bomb shipment for Israel over concerns it was going ahead with a major ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior US administration official said. Israel has not “fully addressed” US concerns over humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah, the official said. An Israeli military official appeared to play down the US move. The delayed arms shipment comes as US President Joe Biden faces mounting domestic pressure – from Democratic lawmakers and some parts of the US public – to rein in Israeli operations in Gaza amid rising civilian deaths and…

The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde has disclosed that any building in Lagos State without building approvals will be pulled down by the State Building Control Agency after the expiration of the 90 days amnesty period granted by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Dr. Babatunde disclosed this on Tuesday at a workshop organised by the Lagos State Building Control Agency at its headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos. The workshop was organized to address salient issues and misconceptions about the activities of the Agency as it relates to the issuance of certifications and the…

The Nigerian military has reportedly pulled out of the Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State. The soldiers pulled out of the embattled community on Tuesday after restricting entrance into the area for two months following the killing of military officers and soldiers. Sources in neighbouring Akugbene and Okoloba communities in the Bomadi local government area told journalists that the soldiers suddenly left the community without any prior information. According to a statement by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the withdrawal was confirmed during a phone conversation with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, on Monday,…

The Rivers State chapter of the Association of Local Government Areas of Nigeria has said it is ready to back the call for the impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The local government chairmen also accused Governor Fubara of embezzling funds intended for the state’s twenty-three LGAs. The caretaker chairman of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Tony Okocha, had urged the State House of Assembly to start the impeachment process against the governor.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara has barred all heads and officials of the 23 local government areas in the state from appearing before the Rivers Assembly, especially the Pro-Wike lawmakers. The governor warned that any chairman who appeared before lawmakers loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, led by Martin Amaewhule as speaker would be sacked. Fubara had earlier declared that in the eyes of the Law, the State does not have state lawmakers as 27 Lawmakers had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, thereby losing their mandate as enshrined in the…

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has threatened a massive protest that will shut down the Nigerian economy should the Federal Government fail to cancel the controversial cybersecurity levy recently introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The TUC in a statement signed by its President, Festus Osifo, today, slammed the directive by the CBN to banks imposing a 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy on almost all electronic transactions. This is after the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC had heavily criticised the levy, describing it as another burden on Nigerians. The TUC said it is illogical that this is coming at a…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is set to arraign former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, before Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Maitama on Thursday. Sirika, a minister in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, would be arraigned on a six -count amended charge. He will be arraigned alongside three others, including his daughter, Fatima; Jalal Hamma and Al-Duraq Investment Ltd, for abuse of office to the tune of N2.7 billion. As part of EFCC investigations into the financial malfeasance allegedly committed by the former minister, “including fraudulent contracts awarded by…

The federal government has accused the leadership of cryptocurrency trading platform, Binance of attempting to blackmail the government amid the ongoing trial. This allegation was made in a statement released today by Rabiu Ibrahim, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Malagi. You will recall that Binance had alleged that some top government officials were demanding $150 million in cryptocurrency to settle the criminal charges leveled against the financial firm. However, in the statement, the federal government argued that the claim lacked any substance and was intended to blackmail the government.