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  The Federal Ministry of Education has announced that the implementation of the Students Loans scheme is scheduled to commence during the 2023/2024 academic session. This disclosure was made by David Adejo, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, during a meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Students Loans. Adejo also dispelled rumours that the signing of the Students Loan Act had prompted several federal universities to increase their charges. He emphasized that President Bola Tinubu has directed the completion of necessary work on the modalities for the students’ loan implementation, with a target start date in September 2023. Adejo further stated that the president has established a coordinating committee, with the Chief of Staff serving as the chairman, adding that the committee comprises key entities such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Budget Office, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, and others. He noted that the committee has...

  The Federal Government will on Thursday arraign suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and his associates for N6.9 billion procurement fraud at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja. Emefiele will be arraigned alongside a female CBN employee, Sa’adatu Yaro and her company, April1616 Investment Limited on 20 charges of procurement fraud, conspiracy and conferring corrupt advantages on his associates. The embattled apex bank chief, who has been in detention since he was suspended from office on June 9, 2023, was accused of conferring corrupt advantages on Yaro, a director in April 1616 Investment Ltd. The offence is contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000. The section read, “Any public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or any relation or associate of the public officer or any other public officer shall be guilty of an offe...

  Following rumours of a hike at the weekend, there was panic buying in some places, with Labour threatening a nationwide strike without notice should there be a further price adjustment. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) said it had no plan to adjust the current pump price. Ngelale stressed that Labour’s strike threat was premature. He told reporters at the Presidential villa that the steps being taken to clean up inefficiencies within the petroleum industry continue. He said: “The President wishes, first, to state that it is incumbent upon all stakeholders in the country to hold their peace. “We have heard, very recently, from the Organised Labour movement about their most recent threat. “We believe that the threat was premature and that there is a need for all sides to ensure that fact-finding and diligence are done on what the current state of the downstream and midstream petroleum industry is before any threats or conclusions are arrived at or issued. “Se...

  Bank of Ireland has warned customers that money withdrawn from ATMs will still be debited from their accounts after some people with low balances reported being able to take out 1,000 euros in cash following an IT failure. An Garda Siochana said it was aware of an “unusual volume of activity” at some ATMs across the country following reports of people queuing to withdraw money at Bank of Ireland cash machines. The gardai also said it was aware of issues relating to banking services on Tuesday after the bank’s online and app services were down. Officers were on Tuesday night reported to be guarding some ATMs after videos were posted on social media of huge queues forming in Dublin, Limerick and Dundalk. In a statement to the PA news agency, a Bank of Ireland spokesman said: “We would like to remind customers that if they transfer or withdraw funds – including over their normal limits – this money will be debited from their account. “While we are conscious customers may not be able...

  Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Tuesday announced one-off payment of N10,000 each to students of Kwara state origin in public-owned tertiary institutions across the country. Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, announced this in statement issued on Tuesday in Ilorin. The governor also approved a stipend of N10,000 each for some categories of security agents defined as the first line of defence, which would be disbursed through the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) Office. “The approval for students’ support, described as one-off in its scope, is a departure from the previous bursary award, which covered only final year students of tertiary schools. “The Governor had raised bursary award from the age-long N5,000 to N10,000 for final year students. “The special support will be coordinated by a government committee to be headed by Prof. Shehu Adaramaja, the Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB). “He will be supp...