JAMB has scrapped the system of setting a general cut-off mark for institutions. Institutions are now allowed to  set their individual minimum standard for admission. This was part of the decision taken at the 2021 policy meeting which was held virtually and chaired by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu. According to the JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, some universities such as the University of Maiduguri proposed 150, Usman Dan Fodio University Sokoto proposed 140, Pan Atlantic University proposed 210, University of Lagos 200, Lagos State University190, Covenant University190, Bayero University Kano, 180. In the meeting, the participants also approved October 29, 2021, as the deadline for the closure of amendments for 2021 admissions. On the deadline for the closure of admissions, the stakeholders resolved to allow the ministry to decide as they could not agree on the December 31, 2021, deadline for all public institutions a...

Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Leo Irabor The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has confirmed the alleged shooting of a cargo boat by a military helicopter at Dutch Island along the Port Harcourt Bonny sea route in River State. Official statement on DHQ facebook page highlight recent actions taken by the military. Read the full statement below #PressRelease #DHQUpdate RE: MILITARY CHOPPER FIRES AT CARGO BOAT ON BONNY RIVER The attention of the military has been drawn to a purported report by some print and online media stating that "the military fired at a cargo boat conveying people and food stuff from Port Harcourt to Bonny”. This report is false and calls to question the credibility of the online news medium. Contrary to the report, the Air Component of the Joint Task Force Operation DELTA SAFE (OPDS) recieved reports from ground troops who were on clearance operations but encountered resistance at the point of encounter. On receiving the report a combat helicopter w...

Sadiya Umar-Farouk The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Federal Government, asking for details of the ₦729bn payment to 24.3m poor Nigerians across the country. SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, adding that the suit with the number FHC/L/CS/853/2021 was filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos. He said the group is seeking “an order directing and compelling the Federal Government to clarify whether the proposed payment to poor Nigerians is part of the ₦5.6 trillion budget deficits.” SERAP wants the court “to compel the Federal Government to disclose details of proposed payments of ₦729bn to 24.3 million poor Nigerians, including the mechanisms and logistics for the payments, list of beneficiaries, and how they have been selected, and whether the payments will be made in cash or through Bank Verification Numbers or other means”. The suit followed the group’s Freedom of Information (FoI) re...

  The State Security Service (SSS) have been issued 48 hours ultimatum to comply with a release order of the Federal High Court on the 12 detained associates of Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday ‘Igboho’ Adeyemo Osha, or face contempt proceedings. Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Pelumi Olajengbesi, counsel to the detainees, also called on international bodies and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to intervene on the constant disobedience of court orders by officials of the State Security Service. Read the full  transcript of the  press conference . Gentlemen of the Press. It has become imperative and urgent to make this brief address in light of the vindictive and oppressive conduct of the State Security Service in the matter involving twelve detained associates of Yoruba Nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, aka Igboho. In the wee hours of the 1st of July, 2021, a joint team of men from the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian Military, with nei...

  President  Joe Biden  addressed the American  citizens   about the terrorist attack on Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday. As you all know, the terrorist attacks that we've been talking about and worried about within the intelligence community, was an undertaking attack by a group known as ISIS-K. They took the lives of American service members standing guard at the airport and wounded several others seriously. They also wounded a number of civilians, and civilians were killed as well. I've been engaged all day and in constant contact with the military commanders here in Washington, the Pentagon, as well as in Afghanistan and Doha. And my command here in Washington has been on this with great detail and you've had a chance to speak to some. So far, the situation on the ground is still evolving. And I'm constantly being updated. These are American service members who gave their lives. It's an overused word, but it's totally appropriate here. These i...

    Image Courtesy -Pixabay/ ArmyAmber. The US military said Thursday that a large explosion occurred outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, as the US-led airlift of thousands continued inside the compound. “We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport. Casualties are unclear at this time. We will provide additional details when we can,” said Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby. British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told the BBC early Thursday there was "very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack" at the airport, possibly within "hours." Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his country had received information from the U.S. and other countries about the "threat of suicide attacks on the mass of people." The acting U.S. ambassador to Kabul, Ross Wilson, said the security threat at the Kabul airport overnight was "clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling."  A Taliban official reportedly acknowledged at leas...

A former Wayne County corrections officer was arrested for allegedly smuggling contraband to prisoners. WCSO officials say Dayton Beasley has been stripped of his authority and status as a detention officer. He was arrested and charged with violation of oath of office, trading with inmates without consent of warden or superintendent, crossing the guard line with a controlled substance and more. The man was “stripped of his authority” and a video posted on the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) Facebook page shows an officer cutting off his uniform in front of a group at the Wayne County Jail. The video has since been deleted and  WCSO posted a statement  claiming the video was posted  “as a show of transparency.” “You come to our jail and do this, this is what it’s gon’ get you,” an officer says after he cut off the man’s shirt. “You’re a disgrace to this uniform and you need to go to jail for good.” WCSO’s narcotics team says its completed an undercover two-week invest...

  The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday fully approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine,  public health officials expect the approval  will convince some people who remain undecided about the vaccine to get the shot. “The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the Covid-19 pandemic,” acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. “While millions of people have already safely received Covid-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated.” The Covid vaccine, which may now be marketed under its brand name Comirnaty, is the first to receive full approval. Tens of millions of shots have already been administered under an emergency use authorization (EUA) that was granted on December 11, 2020. The decision to award it approval was based on updated data from the drug’s clinical trial, including a longer duration of follow-up, with safety and effectiveness...

U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell has convicted a Nigerian national residing in Indianapolis, Ismaila Fafunmi, to 51 months in federal prison for charges related to a money laundering operation, which laundered the proceeds of romance fraud and grant fraud schemes targeting senior citizens.  According to Court records, Fafunmi was involved in a network that was comprised of several layers. The initial layer consisted of scammers using computers in Nigeria who preyed on elderly citizens of the United States by impersonating romantic companions eager to make lasting relationships on dating websites or by offering fake federal grants to senior citizens. According to the United States Department of Justice, Fafunmi admitted in his Plea Agreement that, beginning in June 2018, he and his co-conspirators would set up fake profiles on dating websites profiling American men, often military members. Two victims of the scheme lived in Kentucky. One sent more than $200,000 in funds,...

Arsenal have signed midfielder Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid for a fee in the region of £30m Norway international Odegaard, 22, spent the second half of last season on loan at the Emirates. He made 20 appearances in all competitions and scored two goals. England Under-21 international Ramsdale made 38 Premier League appearances for the Blades last season. He will join Bernd Leno and Runar Alex Runarsson as Arsenal's goalkeepers. "There is still some paperwork but his medical is done, still a few things to sort with Sheffield," Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said. The Gunners have also agreed a deal to sign Ramsdale from Sheffield United. "Aaron is a talented young keeper with huge experience and has international experience for England. He will bring competition and that's what we want to create - healthy competition, quality competition in every position. We identified Aaron as the ideal option."  

          Pictures  shown is for  illustration purpose only . Credit - pixabay/Tumisu Capitol police are responding to an “active bomb threat investigation” after a man in a pickup truck threatened to detonate an explosive device near the Library of Congress in Washington DC. A man appearing to be the suspect took to Facebook Live to stream a series of threats — and asking to speak to President Joe Biden. “I’m trying to get Joe Biden on the phone. I’m parked up here on the sidewalk right beside all this pretty stuff,” said the man, identified on the Facebook page as Ray Roseberry. “I’m telling you, them snipers come in, they start shooting this window out, this bomb’s going off,” he said. Police said the suspect man drove the pickup truck onto the sidewalk before making his threats. “The driver of the truck told the responding officer on the scene that he had a bomb and what appeared, the officer said, appeared to be a detonator in the man’s hand,” Ca...

  The Taliban promised yesterday that they would respect women’s rights, forgive those who had fought against them,  they will not seek revenge on Afghans who worked for former or western governments, and they will also encourage a free press and restore peace.  Laying out the Taliban’s official policy agenda for the first time since seizing power, the group’s spokesman insisted that women would be allowed to work and study but, ominously, guaranteed their rights only “within the framework of sharia”. Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul that women “can have activities in different areas and serve in education and health but of course within the frameworks we have”.

There have been scenes of nervousness  at Kabul airport as unhappy residents try to flee following the seizure of the Afghan capital by the Taliban. With scheduled flights suspended, many foreigners and Afghans are stranded. The US and other countries are rushing to evacuate staff and allies. On Sunday the Taliban declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad and his government collapsed. The militants' return to rule brings an end to almost 20 years of a US-led coalition's presence in the country. At least seven people were killed during the chaos, including several people who plunged to their deaths after clinging on to a U.S. military jet that took off from the runway. The U.S. temporarily suspended evacuations to secure the airfield. The Islamist group was able to seize control after most foreign troops pulled out.  

  Grady Health Care System is full because of  t he highly  infectious Delta variant , the system's top health official confirmed to Fox 5 News in Atlanta. "We are full we are at capacity," Chief Medical Officer Robert Jansen said.  "The numbers unfortunately are going up rapidly. It’s an exponential curve we are experiencing with more cases coming in every day."  On a daily basis, the hospital is being tasked with treating an increasing number of patients who are infected with the COVID-19 delta variant.   "We are not where we were in January when we reached our peak but if we continue with this trend then we can equal that or we can surpass it," Dr. Jansen reported. "The people who are coming in are primarily unvaccinated. There are very few vaccinated people but we have had some people admitted who were vaccinated but most of them had not received both doses or just started the vaccine sequence," Jansen said. On July 27, 2021,  Centers for...

  The Nigerian High Commission in London has been closed for 10 days after two officials tested positive for COVID-19. The High Commission stated this in a statement on Thursday night. “This afternoon, the Head of Immigration Section and two other officials went for a meeting at the Home Office,” it said in the statement. “At the entrance, COVID test was administered on them and one of them tested positive to COVID-19. The affected officer was immediately isolated while the other officials who tested negative will also be isolated for the next 10 days.” The Mission explained that, as a result, it began testing all officials after that, leading to another positive case. “In line with COVID-19 regulation and the need to adhere to the rules and regulation of the host country, the Mission will close down for the next 10 days, in order to observe the mandatory isolation of those who were in contact with the affected officials,” it added. It, however, regretted any inconveniences the dev...

Image Credit :  2012,Torrey Poholsky. Music Midtown has announced on its social media accounts  that all who attend the festival will need to be fully vaccinated or have proof of a negative COVID-19 test. “For the safety of our patrons and our staff is our number one priority. As such, a full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result will be required to attend Music Midtown 2021,” the festival said. Attendees who are not fully vaccinated will be required to have a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of attending Music Midtown.  Attendees will be required each day to bring a printed copy of a vaccine card, vaccine record or their negative test results. Music Midtown is scheduled for Sept. 18-20 at Piedmont Park. Maroon 5, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers and 21 Savage are among the headliners. Megan Thee Stallion, Jack Harlow and Machine Gun Kelly are also featured among the festival’s 30+ artists and bands.  

  The Federal Government has said it will lift its ban on Twitter, in a matter of days. Minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed announced this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Mr. Mohammed disclosed that the status of the conversation with the microblogging site has reached an amicable stage, with agreements reached in all areas except three. The remaining three unresolved areas, according to him, are simply a matter of ‘when and not ‘if’ there would be an implementation of conditions discussed. One of the pending issues according to the minister is in relation to the condition that Twitter establishes a legal presence in Nigeria, registered as a Nigerian company with an office address and an employee to serve as a country representative in the country. The Federal Government suspended Twitter’s operations in June after the social media platform deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari fo...

Image Courtesy - Pixabay/marcofedermann  Nigeria is expected to receive 176,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday. Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, said at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday. He stated the J&J single shot vaccine is safe and efficient against the coronavirus disease, including the deadlier Delta variant. It is expected to boost Nigeria’s COVID-19 fight with the Delta variant sparking fears of a third wave of the pandemic. Dr. Shuaib had recently announced that the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination programme would commence soon. The exercise had earlier been scheduled to begin on Tuesday, but it was postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances,” according to a spokesperson in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey. The need for the rollout of the second batch of the vaccines has, however, become crucial as Nigeria gradually returns t...

A petition that calls for a monthly $2,000 stimulus payment to every American is nearing 3 million online signatures.  Financial insecurity,  and the loss of a job and the loss of hours have been some of the main reasons.  The petition   was posted on Change.org   by Denver restaurant owner Stephanie Bonin and proposed to Congress to come up with a law that would provide families with “$2,000 payment for adults and a $1,000 payment for kids immediately, and continuing regular checks for the duration of the (COVID-19) crisis.” Also, a group of Democratic Senators, including Ron Wyden of Oregon, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, sent a letter to President Joe Biden at the end of March requesting “recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions tied to economic conditions.” The Senators argued in their letter, “this crisis is far from over, and families deserve certainty that they can put food on th...

  U.S.A :  A woman in Louisiana has been arrested on charges of second-degree murder after she allegedly confessed  to taking opiates before breastfeeding her 4-day-old child, following the infant’s death.  The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said Thursday that Lana Cristina, 28, was booked for second-degree murder in the death of her daughter. The baby died June 10 after Cristina called 911 from a hotel in Harvey early that morning because the child was not breathing.  First responders rushed the victim to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.  An autopsy and toxicology report found that the child’s cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity, according to the sheriff’s office.  Information  revealed that Lana Cristina is being held on $400,000 bond on the murder charge  .

  The below is attributable to Spokesperson Rebecca Chalif:‎ On the third day of her trip to Sudan, Administrator Samantha Power traveled to Um Rakuba refugee camp in Gedaref State to meet with refugees from Ethiopia’s Tigray region, representatives of Sudanese communities hosting the refugees, and U.S. government humanitarian partners responding to the crisis. USAID is providing food assistance to nearly all of the more than 46,000 refugees who have fled to Sudan since the start of the conflict. The Administrator spoke with representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees about the humanitarian assistance they are providing to Um Rakuba’s 21,000 refugees. Sudanese living in areas near the camp described the impact of the refugee crisis on their communities, which, along with the Government of Sudan, have welcomed Ethiopians fleeing conflict, atrocities, and starvation. Administrator Power then toured food and cash distributi...

  Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare (C) with Olympians Ese Brume (L) and Blessing Oborodudu (R) in Tokyo, Japan Silver Medalist Blessing Oborodudu and bronze medalist Ese Brume have been given a cash reward of $10,000 and $7500, respectively by the Federal Government of Nigeria for their achievements at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in a ceremony held at Grand Prince Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. Oborodudu and Brume were presented their cash by the  Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare. “There’s no point delaying the reinforcement of these athletes who have made the country proud, that is the reason  they were rewarded immediately for their record breaking  performance,”  Dare said. Reacting to their achievements in Tokyo, Brume and Oborududu thanked everyone including the minister who had contributed one way or the other to their success in the world’s biggest multi-sports event. Silver medallist Oborududu also became...

NIGERIA: A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to the 12 associates of Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho. Delivering the ruling on the application filed by the 12 applicants before the court, the presiding Judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, said it is clear that no charge has been brought against Sunday Igboho’s aides since their arrest. As such, the court held that detaining them without charging them contravenes the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and their fundamental rights. Eight of the applicants, the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th applicants, were granted bail in the sum of N5million each with surety in like sum resident in Abuja. The remaining four applicants, the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 12th applicants, were granted bail in the sum of N10 million each with surety in like sum also resident in Abuja. The aides were arrested when DSS officials raided Igboho’s home on July 1, but a lawyer to the apprehended aides, ...