Commuters in Lagos State on Sunday decried the continuous hike in transport fares occasioned by the COVID-19 new public transport guidelines put in place by the state government, despite neglect by transport operators. Some commuters, in separate interviews with newsmen in Lagos, said that since the guidelines constraining operators to load at 50 or 60 per cent capacity, operators have not strictly followed the guidelines. According to them, the government and its enforcement agencies seem to have shifted attention from enforcing the guidelines, the burden on commuters should be lifted. Mrs Yemisi Adegoke, a trader onboard a-14 seat bus from…
Author: YemieFash
THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revealed main business activities and sectors in the Nigerian economy that are eligible to access its N75 billion Youth Investment Fund. They are: technology/innovation; agriculture and related value chain; green economy and renewable energy sector; manufacturing, hospitality/tourism; construction and logistics and supply chain. Others are healthcare value chain, creative sector and trading and services while the rest shall be determined by NYIF/CBN from time to time. “However, preference shall be given to enterprises that will support the growth of priority sectors, specifically those identified by the Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) and…
Weeks after they participated in the gubernatorial election in Ondo State, some policemen who were deployed for the election are yet to be paid their allowances and some of them are already apprehensive about it. The gubernatorial election held on Saturday, October 10, with the incumbent governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, securing a second term in office. Some of those who participated in the election said that over 300 police officers who participated in the election are yet to be paid. Premium Times is yet to independently verify the number of police officers yet to be paid. Some of those who spoke to…
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Wednesday directed the 11 Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to suspend the Sept. 1 new tariff. The commission’s suspension order of the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) 2020 signed by Prof James Momoh, NERC’s Chairman was released on its website on Wednesday. The suspension, which followed a joint communique issued by the Federal Government and the labour unions, is for 14 days. Recall that the Federal Government had agreed the suspension is in order to further consultations and finalisation of negotiations between the parties. The order by NERC said that from Sept 28 to…
U.S. President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday night clashed in the first presidential debate described by commentators as chaotic and messy. The 90-minute encounter was characterised by frequent interruptions, mostly from Trump, and insults, with Biden calling the president a clown. Fox News anchor and moderator of the night, Chris Wallace, had a hard time controlling both candidates, who talked over each other. Trump of the Republican Party and Biden of the opposition Democratic Party squared off on the coronavirus pandemic, taxes, crime, the economy, climate change, election integrity, among others. Here are some key…
No fewer than eight persons were seriously injured during a clash between the supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ipele, Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Tuesday. About 20 vehicles were destroyed during the fracas while the streets of Ipele was littered with shells of bullets after the fracas which extended to Owo town. While the PDP alleged that political thugs loyal to the APC are behind the attack, the ruling party said the attack was masterminded by thugs loyal to Eyitayo Jegede, the PDP governorship candidate. Speaking on…
Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo’s spokesman Kehinde Akinyemi said last night that his boss did not meet Dr Olusegun Mimiko in Abuja concerning support for the Peoples Democratic Party (Pdp) in the october 10 governorship election. The Nation had learnt that governors elected on the platform of the PDP were not leaving anything to chance in their quest to go into alliance with the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), ahead of the poll. It was gathered that the PDP governors had purportedly reached out to former President Obasanjo to talk to the leader of the ZLP, Dr. Mimiko, to dump the ZLP and support…
THE Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Tuesday justified the repeat COVID-19 test being conducted on international travellers after seven days of their arrival to the country. The National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, said at the taskforce’s briefing in Abuja that a significant number of 80 out of the 2,403 tests carried out when the exercise began turned out to be positive. He said this was despite the fact that the travelers who tested positive arrived in the country with a negative PCR test. “Of the 2,403 passengers that were tested in Lagos when we started the…
The Lagos Internal Revenue Service and its counterpart in Ogun State have indicated interests in the collection of tax from the winner of the 2020 edition of the Big Brother Nigeria reality TV show, Olamilekan ‘Laycon’ Agbeleshe. The agencies made this known while congratulating Laycon over his victory. “Congratulations @itsLaycon winner @BBNaija Lockdown edition. More wins!! We look forward to seeing you in Y2021 as you #payyourtax,” LIRS tweeted. A few hours after the LIRS asked the rapper to pay his tax to Lagos State, the Ogun State Internal Revenue Service also tweeted a similar post encouraging the celebrity to…
THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday reiterated that the pre-departure and post-departure tests for air travellers, either on local or international flights, are important because individuals have two separate opportunities for infection. The agency explained that the five-day pre-departure test timeline is still not a guarantee that infections will be averted, as people can get infected before and during travel, hence the need for a post-departure test. It said that in Abuja for example, five per cent of returning travellers tested positive for COVID-19. Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated these in Abuja during the Presidential…