NEWS
Catholic Bishops urge Tinubu to Address Hardship
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the present economic challenges in the country to avoid further hardship on Nigerians.The President of CBCN, Archbishop Lucious Ugorji made the call on Sunday in his welcome address at the opening session of the 2024 Second Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops held at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo.
Ugorji, who is the Archbishop of Owerri Diocese, also condemned the recent kidnapping at Otukpo of some Catholic medical students from the Universities of Maiduguri and Jos, who were on their way to Enugu but thanked God for their freedom. He commended the security agents and others who assisted in ensuring that they were released, noting that insecurity remained one of the major challenges in the country.According to him, the economic challenges have caused multidimensional poverty and untold hardship, hence, the youth decided to embark on a nationwide protest tagged “Endbadgovernance”.“The protest was as a result of disappointment and frustration faced by many Nigerians.“Though Nigerians have the constitutional right to express their grievances through peaceful protest, there was a widespread concern that the planned protest could be hijacked by miscreants to unleash mayhem on the nation.”He alleged that some security operatives who ought to have protected citizens during the protest resorted to threat, intimidation and blackmail to deter youths from their planned protest.He stated that in spite of all odds, the protest still took off peacefully as planned but went awry midway in some places especially in the north.He, however, frowned at the attitude of some youths who were violent during the protest and also condemned the alleged killing of some protesting youths by security operatives.“We wish to stress that as the nation is afflicted with poverty, hardship and corruption and as long as the future of youths in our nation remains bleak, we must continue to reckon with the youths’ protest.”On the issue of increasing debt burden, the CBCN said the government should block all leakages and increase its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in order to run its affairs effectively.“The withdrawal of fuel subsidies and floating of the Naira triggered a skyrocketing inflation that has reduced most Nigerians to a life of abject poverty.”Earlier, in his Holy Mass to flag off the conference Most Rev. Dr Gabriel Dunia, urged elected officers to work for the citizens.“The elected ones must not and should not think of how to please themselves, rather they should focus on how to please the populace,” Dunia said.He urged the Catholic faithful in the diocese to see the visits of the bishops in Auchi as a blessing to the community. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria is the highest decision-making body of the Catholic Church in Nigeria and holds its plenary meeting twice in a year where matters of the Catholic faith and society are discussed. (NAN)
The Police Command in Anambra says gunmen have burnt its station in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, killing two officers.SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, announced this in a statement issued in Awka on Monday.He said that the gunmen attacked the police facility with improvised explosives, shooting sporadically, which caused a fire to burn part of the station.
He said further that during the attack, two police operatives on duty were killed when they attempted to resist the gunmen. Ikenga stated that the bodies of the deceased policemen had been recovered and taken to the morgue.He also noted that joint security forces, including the police, army and navy, among others, had recovered five unexploded improvised explosives.Ikenga noted that the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, CP Nnaghe Itam, had visited the scene for assessment.He said that Itam called on anyone with information that could assist in the investigation to come forward, assuring then that such information would be treated confidential.(NAN)
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to maintain and operate a secure and efficient personnel and payroll system.In a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mr Bawa Mokwa on Monday, the OAGF maintained that the Integrated Personal and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) database has not been compromised, assuring that employees personal data on the IPPIS database is safe and secured.
The OAGF, which manages the IPPIS and other financial management initiatives of the Federal Government, said it is already implementing its ICT Security Policy that aims to ensure that its digital assets are secured in line with global best practices. The Office explained that no data is saved on its website, adding that the IPPIS uses the website to only share information and not for any transaction. “The IPPIS is not using the OAGF website for any transaction. The website is actually the medium to share information. Neither payroll nor payment is made through the website, therefore, no data is contained in the website”, it said. The OAGF stated that the IPPIS validation portal that was recently developed for updates of employees information was deployed for a period and after the exercise was over, the data were pulled out and the site shut down permanently.According to the statement, “the IPPIS Validation Portal was deployed on a secure platform. A secured database and application were purchased from the popular HELIX-FONS.”The Office acknowledged that the IPPIS is of utmost importance to Nigerian workers, thus it became imperative to assuage the fears of any loss or breach of employees personal data in the IPPIS database. The OAGF noted that the IPPIS has put in place necessary mechanism to resolve any problem that may arise in its operations and advised workers that observe anomalies in their salaries to follow the official procedures inorder to get such issues resolved.
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Nigeria’s headline inflation dropped to 32.15 percent in August, according to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report
The report released on Monday said the inflation eased the second time in 2024 after a 19 month increase that peaked at 34.19 percent in June.
“Looking at the movement, the August 2024 headline inflation
rate showed a decrease of 1.
It however, said on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 6.35 percent points higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2023 (25.80%).
“This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in August 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.
e, August 2023).Furthermore, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in August 2024 was 2.22%, which was 0.06% lower than the rate recorded in August 2024 (2.28%).
” This means that in August 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is lower than the rate of increase in the
average price level in July 2024.”
The report added that food inflation rate in August 2024 was 37.52 percent on a year-on-year basis, which was 8.18% points higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2023 (29.34%).
It said the rise in food inflation
on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of; “Bread, Maize Grains, Guinea Corn, etc (Bread and Cereals Class), Yam, Irish Potatoes, Water Yam, Cassava Tuber, etc (Potatoes, Yam & Other Tubers Class), Palm Oil, Vegetable, etc (Oil & Fats Class) and
Ovaltine, Milo, Lipton, etc (Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Class).”
But on a month-on-month basis, the food inflation rate in August 2024 was 2.37 percent, a 0.10% decrease compared to the rate recorded in July 2024 (2.47 percent).
“The fall can be attributed to the decline in the rate of increase in the average prices of Tobacco, Tea, Coco, Coffee, Groundnut Oil, Milk, Yam, Irish Potatoes, Water Yam, Cassava Tuber, Palm Oil, Vegetable etc.”
It added that the average annual rate of Food inflation for the twelve months ending August 2024 over the previous twelve-month average was 36.99 percent, which was 11.98 percent points increase from the average annual rate of change recorded in August 2023 (25.01 percent).
Gunmen Attack Police Station, Kill 2 in Anambra
Share The Police Command in Anambra says gunmen have burnt its station in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, killing...
IPPIS Data Base not Compromised, OAGF Assures Employees
Share By Tony Obiechina, Abuja The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has reiterated the Federal Government’s...
Again, Inflation Drops to 32.15% in August
ShareBy Tony Obiechina, Abuja Nigeria’s headline inflation dropped to 32.15 percent in August, according to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)...
Imo: Police kill 3 Hoodlums in Attempted Police Station Attack
Share The Police Command in Imo on Sunday foiled an attack by hoodlums on Njaba Local Government Area Divisional Police...
INC Condemns killings During Youth Congress Elections
Share The Ijaw National Congress (INC) worldwide has condemned in strong terms the Sept.14 killings in Abuloma during the ljaw...
Tinubu Committed to Improving Welfare of Senior Citizens –Alake
Share Dr Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, has restated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improve the welfare...
Lifting of Petrol from Dangote Refinery Marks Industrialisation – FG
Share The Federal Government has hailed the commencement of petroleum product lifting from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, describing...
Parents Protest Boarding Fees Increase in Lagos School
Share Some parents of students of Oriwu Model College in Ikorodu on Sunday protested the sudden increase of boarding fees...
Federal High Court Resumes Tuesday After Annual Vacation
Share The Federal High Court (FHC) will, on Tuesday, resume its annual vacation. The annual vacation, which began on July...
EFCC Detains 5 Chinese Nationals over Alleged Illegal Mining
Share The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has apprehended five suspected Chinese illegal miners in Ndito-Eka-Iba village, Ibieno Local...