Unvaccinated Corps Members Will Be Barred From Camp Come 2022 – NYSC
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, on Monday said, only fully vaccinated Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) will be allowed to register and partake in the scheme, starting from January 2022.
Ibrahim said that from the next orientation in the year 2022, all incoming PCMs will show evidence of vaccination before they will be allowed into the camp for registration.
He said that they need to ensure that there is strict adherence to the non-pharmaceutical safety protocols of COVID-19.
Ibrahim made the remarks on Monday, while addressing the 2021 Batch “C’’ Stream II set of corps members in a virtual meeting.
10 Dead As Gunmen Storms Plateau Community
Gunmen suspected to be bandits has stormed Pinau town in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State on Sunday evening, killing at least 10 people, while scores of others sustained various degrees of injuries.
The incident occurred after the villagers had finished from their weekly community market.
Hamman Sale, a community member who confirmed the incident, said the suspected bandits were from Zamfara State.
The spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, ASP Gabriel Ubah, confirmed the incident. He said the command is yet to get full details of the attack.
5G: FG Kicks-Off 3.5GHz Spectrum Auction
The minister of communications and digital economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has flagged-off the process for the commencement of the auction of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum for the deployment of 5G in the country.
The auction being organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is being held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja with MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria and Mafab Communications Ltd, the three bidders who successfully submitted their bids.
The minister, who is also the chief host, in his welcome address said the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) network on the 3.5 GHz spectrum will help security agencies surmount security challenges in the country.
The auction bidding process is being supervised by officials of the Department of State Security (DSS), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and observed by officials of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and Association of Licenced Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), NCC and other telecom stakeholders. The reserve price of each of the two lots available for auction is $197.4 million
UAE Refuses Entry For Nigerian Passengers
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has directed all flights bound for the country to refuse service to Nigerian passengers.
This is an escalation of the diplomatic crisis between her and Nigeria, and which can be traced to the tit for tat move by Nigeria when she reduced Emirates Airlines’ flight frequency form 21 to 1 per week after the Sharjah Airport Authorities reportedly denied Air Peace the three slots it requested.
The Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Air and other international airlines going to Dubai refused to board passe gers holding the Nigerian passport whose final destination is the UAE. They insisted that they have been directed not to airlift Nigerian passport holders to Dubai.
UK Records First Omicron Death
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron in the UK – the first death recorded with that variant.
Speaking during a visit to a vaccination clinic near Paddington, in west London, the PM says: “Sadly yes Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron.
“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters.”
Ogun State kicks-off the “Let there be light” project
The Ogun state government has begun mass installation and activation of street lights in major towns across the state as part of efforts to prevent road crashes and armed robbery operations at night.
Governor Dapo Abiodun made this known at the weekend at a test run of the project on the 42km Sagamu Interchange-Siun-Abeokuta expressway.
Abiodun said his government decided to embark on the ‘Let there be Light’ project to lighten up major cities in the state to discourage robbery incidents, among other crimes.
NNPC Makes ₦141.96bn Trading Surplus
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has announced a N141.96 billion trading surplus in June 2021 compared to a deficit of N37.46 billion recorded in the previous month.
This was disclosed in the NNPC’S Monthly Financial and Operations Report for June 2021.
According to the report, expenditure for the month of June 2021, decreased by N299.44 billion to stand at N721.93 billion, which brought expenditure as a proportion of revenue to 0.81 percent compared to the figure in May which stood at 1.04 percent.
The report also noted that the increase in trading surplus was due mainly to the increased sales of crude oil and gas by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), an Upstream subsidiary of the NNPC, and the increased gas sales and depreciation postings by the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC).
Finance Bill 2022: Presidency Dismisses TIN Requirement For Bank Account Rumors
The Presidency on Sunday said there is no provision in the Finance Bill 2022 before the National Assembly forcing Nigerians to have a Tax ID number (TIN) to operate a bank account.
Some media reports had claimed that the Finance Bill, an executive biill sent to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari, if passed into law will make the presentation of TIN compulsory before opening bank accounts for individuals while existing account holders must provide their TIN to continue operating their accounts.
But a top presidency source has described the reports as “totally inaccurate”, the bill “has no such provisions for individuals,” the source added.
Buhari Calls For Cooperation To Confront Sub-Regional Challenges
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday called on leaders of West African states to work together to confront the numerous challenges facing the sub-region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 60th Session of the ECOWAS Authority Heads of State and Government at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Buhari pointed out that West Africa continues to suffer from various socioeconomic, political, security, and environmental fragilities linked to the coronavirus pandemic.
He said: “The challenges of the coronavirus and the catastrophic consequences posed on our socio-economic environment continues to torment us.
He expressed delight that the countries’ centres for disease control are already working together to curtail the pandemic.
Bandits Attacks IMO, Kidnaps 2 Traditional Rulers And Youth Leader
Bandits on Sunday morning attacked Imo communities and abducted two traditional rulers. The culprits also burnt their palaces and vehicles during the attack.
The traditional rulers are Eze Acho Ndukwe of Amagu Ihube and Eze Paul Ogbu of Ihitte Ihube, both in the Okigwe Local Government Area of the state.
The bandits also kidnapped the youth leader of Umulolo Okigwe. Community sources said the gunmen, who operated from 12 midnight to 1am on Sunday, also invaded and vandalized the home of a community leader in Umulolo-Okigwe, Fabian Nwosu.
The spokesperson for the police in the state, Micheal Abattam, disclosed that the command has commenced an investigation into the incident.
