NaijaWire

Archive for the ‘Features’ Category

Abuja - The World Bank has approved a credit grant totaling $390 million (about N45 billion) to assist in the development of Nigeria’s road transport sector.

World Bank’s financial support came in the wake of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s approval for the take-off of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) next month.

The Country Director of World Bank in Nigeria, Mr. Onno Ruhi, at a stakeholders’ workshop on the road sector reform held in Abuja, said the bank’s offer is a demonstration of its commitment towards the development of the country’s transport sector. “I am happy to announce that as a demonstration of our continued commitment towards Nigeria’s transport sector this quarter, the bank approved a credit totalling $390m (equivalent to over N45bn),” he said.

Nigeria - Worried by the high rate of prostitution among students of universities, authorities of higher institutions and religious fellowships across Nigerian campuses have started prayer sessions to fight the scourge.

Besides, some institutions have strengthened their counseling units to cage the vice, while the National Association of Nigerian Students has called on the Federal Government to do something urgent to rid the nation’s campuses of prostitution and social vices.

Also, universities in Ibadan, Ife, Ago-Iwoye and Lagos, campus fellowships including the Christ Apostolic Church Students’ Association, Baptist Students’ Fellowship and fellowships of Pentecostal extraction have, declared war on the scourge. They described it as an “assault unleashed on God’s creatures from the pit of hell.”

Ibadan - Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 80 metric tonnes of cannabis in one of its largest ever hauls, officials say.

The drugs were seized by NDLEA agents in a single raid in the south-western city of Ibadan, following a tip-off from other security agencies.

The drugs were loaded into a bullion van, a truck and a car ready for supply to a residential area in the city.

The seized cannabis had an estimated local street value of $1.2m.

Social life and business activities were yesterday crippled in no fewer than five states, namely Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Benue and Plateau as petroleum products marketers began an indefinite industrial action, closing down all fuel stations.

The strike was reportedly called by the marketers to protest the sealing-off of service stations of some of their members in Enugu by the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Zonal Office in the city.

According to a source, a DPR official allegedly issued an order for the directorate to enforce strict compliance with the approved pump price of N70 for marketers.

New York - A Nigerian, Lieutenant-General Chikadibia Obiakor, has been appointed by United Nations’ Secretary -General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, as the United Nations’ (UN) Military Adviser for peacekeeping.

The appointment was confirmed by the United Nations’ Secretary -General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon. Lt Gen. Obiakor will resume as soon as he is able to resolve the logistics and handover of his current UN job in Liberia, where he is the Force Commander.