Blog - Abia ThinkTank News

Nov

20

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Tragedy: Former DG Of Nigeria Intelligence Agency And Son Died Hours Apart

News Flash, Obituary

Tragedy As Former DG Of Nigeria Intelligence Agency, Son Died Hours Apart After the death of a former Director-General of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ibrahim Zakari, his son Mubarak Zakari has also passed on. Late Ibrahim served as Director-General of the NIA from 1995 to 1998. He also served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the early 1990s and headed the country’s anti-terrorism efforts during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in 2011. PRNigeria reports that the youngest son of the former NIA Director passed on just hours after his father’s death, he was aged 34, before…

Nov

20

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Leading By Example: EFCC Chairman Sacks 2 ‘Corrupt’ Officials

Crime, FGN, News Flash

EFCC Chairman Sacks Two ‘Corrupt’ Officials Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has announced the dismissal of two officials over alleged corruption. Speaking on Tuesday at the annual criminal law review conference organised by the Rule of Law Development Foundation in Abuja, Olukoyede said the staff were sacked two weeks ago. He said the commission is undergoing significant reforms, including addressing staff misconduct. Olukoyede challenged Nigerians to come forward if they had evidence of him receiving bribes. “Just two weeks ago, I have cause to dismiss two staff. You can’t be fighting corruption and your…

Nov

20

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Fighting Corruption: ICPC Tracks N610bn Constituency Projects In 21 States

Economy, News Flash, Politics

ICPC Tracks ₦610bn Constituency Projects In 21 States, FCT The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has kicked off the 7th phase of the constituency and executive projects tracking exercise involving 1,500 schemes valued at ₦610 billion. The spokesperson of the ICPC, Demola Bakare, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. According to Bakare, the exercise is an initiative of the commission that began in 2019. He said it focused on how well money allocated to critical sectors like education, health, agriculture, water resources and power, amongst others, were utilized. The tracking exercise will cut…

Nov

20

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Revisiting The ABIA Pension Debacle: The Dramatic U-Turn, Half-Truths And Blackmail – By Eagle Okoro

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance, Politics

Revisitng the Abia pension debacle: The dramatic U-turn, half-truths and blackmail By Eagle Okoro Brief Background History of Abia Pension Crisis The crisis of irregular payment of pensions to Abia retirees can easily be traced to the inglorious, dark days of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and, precisely, toward the winding down of the eight-year administration of former Gov. Theodore Ahamefula Orji, alias Ochendo, sometime around 2014. The strange development was dumbfounding to the affected retirees, who, naturally took it with incredible equanimity, confident that the experience was going to be shortlived. Unfortunately, it lingered beyond their expectations and surprisingly…

Nov

19

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Abia State: Matters Arising: The Opposition We Urgently Require – By Dr. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance, News Flash

Abia State: Matters Arising: The Opposition we urgently require I have spent ample time reading, re-reading opposition materials on the spirit, motive and style of govenrernanace in Abia State. I came to a conclusion that more needs to be done. There seems to be a lack of creativity and imagination in their dear camp. Need I say more? Of course, I will. We all agree to the fact that Abia State, located in southeastern Nigeria, has its unique set of challenges and opportunities. In judiciously studying opposition articles scattered on every social media page, I have also come to the…

Nov

19

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Four Nigerians Jailed Over UK Street Fight

Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, News Flash, World News

Four Nigerians Jailed Over UK Street Fight Four persons have been jailed in the United Kingdom over a street brawl in Leicester City centre. The men used knives, a baseball bat, and a crutch as weapons during the fight that took place at about 03:00 GMT on 4 November 2021. They are Destiny Ojo, Joshua Davies-Ero, Ridwanulahi Raheem, and Habib Lawal. All aged 21, they were sentenced at the Leicester Crown Court on Thursday after being found guilty of various offences which included violent disorder after a six-week trial. The Leicestershire police disclosed this on Monday in a statement on…

Nov

19

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Canada Scraps Conversion Of Study Permits To Permanent Residency For Foreign Students

Foreign Affairs, International, News Flash

Canada Scraps Conversion Of Study Permits To Permanent Residency For Foreign Students Canada has closed the pathway for international students to convert their study permits into permanent residency under its latest immigration policies. This new regulation mandates that international students return to their home countries upon the expiration of their study visas in Canada, signaling an end to policies that allowed non-citizens with study permits to transition into permanent residency. Canada is also terminating the Student Direct Stream (SDS) program and halting asylum claims tied to such immigration pathways. Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, confirmed this development during an…

Nov

19

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

Wike Approves New Minimum Wage Of 70k For FCT Workers

Abuja, Economy, Labour, News Flash

Wike Approves New Minimum Wage For FCT Workers Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has directed the immediate payment of N70,000, the new minimum wage, for all administration staff. The move comes after President Bola Tinubu signed the new Minimum Wage Bill into law in May 2024, following months of negotiation with organized labour. The approval was announced in a statement signed by Anthony Odeh, Press Secretary to the Head of the Civil Service of the FCT, and made available to journalists on Tuesday. According to the statement, Wike approved the payment of the minimum wage on Monday,…

Nov

19

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

President Hospitalized After Falling At G20 Summit

Foreign Affairs, Gossips, World News

President Hospitalised After Falling At G20 Summit The President of Paraguay, Santiago Pena was taken to a Rio hospital late Monday after falling ill while attending a G20 summit, officials said. “We inform that the President of the Republic, Santiago Pena, was treated today at the Samaritano Hospital (Botafogo) in Rio de Janeiro due to an indisposition,” Paraguayan authorities said. In a medical bulletin, the hospital later indicated that Pena, 46, had “a malaise in the afternoon” and was taken to a health center for diagnostic tests. “The head of state is doing well and his current state of health…

Nov

19

2024

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By Abia ThinkTank

President Tinubu Writes National Assembly, Seeks Approval For Fresh Foreign Loan

Economy, FGN, National Assembly, News Flash, Presidency

Tinubu Writes National Assembly, Seeks Approval For Fresh Foreign Loan President Bola Tinubu has written to the National Assembly, seeking approval for a fresh N1.767 trillion external borrowing plan to part-finance the budget deficit of N9.7 trillion for the 2024 budget. The Nigeria’s growing foreign debt obligations have been of concern lately, and this has been exacerbated by the liberalization of exchange rates, making loan repayment more expensive. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Federal Government spent $3.58 billion servicing the country’s foreign debt in the first nine months of 2024, representing a 39.77% increase from the…