Category Nigeria News

The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) has been praised by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) for its prompt response to the recent boat accident in the Niger State’s Borgu Local Government Area.

The Authority’s Assistant General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Suleiman Makama, stated in a statement that the team’s swift rescue efforts saved the lives of at least 50 passengers aboard the awry wooden boat.

When the incident occurred, the boat was carrying passengers from a condolence visit to the Dugga community, according to preliminary investigations.

The incident, according to NIWA, underscored how crucial safety awareness is for boat owners and passengers who traverse the country’s waterways.

Also read: Niger Boat Accident: 27 People Dead

50 passengers were saved while search and rescue operations are still ongoing for potential missing persons, according to the statement.

In addition, the Authority made further disclosures as to how aggressively the agency is conducting ongoing inquiries into the boat operator.

While lauding NSEMA’s cooperation, NIWA cautioned boat operators against overloading, arguing that strict safety standards and capacity limits are still essential to preventing accidents on the waterways.

The statement read, “NIWA reiterates its commitment to ensuring the safety of all passengers and users of Nigeria’s waterways at all times.”

In the accident, 27 people were confirmed to have died.

The NIWA rescue team arrived at the scene about two hours later, according to eyewitnesses, and the incident occurred on Tuesday.

The wooden boat reportedly had 138 passengers and capsized along Kainji Lake’s Shagunu–Dunga axis. With the aid of life jackets, 46 men, 58 women, and an undisclosed number of children were saved during the NIWA-led rescue operations.

Sadly, there have already been 19 bodies recovered on Tuesday and 8 on Monday.

Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the House of Representatives, refutes claims that President Bola Tinubu enjoys strong support in the north, arguing that he still has a loyal following.

The NNPP leader asserted on Channels Television’s Political Program that it would be “dangerous calculation” to assume the president had no support in the North, stressing that while some people are against him, many still firmly support him.

In the north, Tinubu is not an orphan. In the north, he has residents. He has people, even if they may not be talking as much as they should. So you also have those who want him in, just like you do for people who want him out.

And as events continue to unfold, there will be both opposition and support for him in the coming days. In the north, I don’t believe he is an orphan. According to Jibrin, it would be a risky for someone to believe Tinubu lacks support in the north of the nation.

North Not Short-changed,

The federal lawmaker disputed claims that the North had been “politically” stifled,” noting that the region had a longer history of dominance than the South.

He exhorted the North to “tell itself the truth” and stop deceiving its own representatives.

Nothing Can Prevent Tinubu from winning 2027 elections, says Jibrin.

Jibrin disclosed that discussions about joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are still ongoing in relation to NPP leader Rabiu Kwankwaso’s (NNPP) future.

He has always maintained that his doors are open and that our doors are open for discussion as far as [joining APC] is concerned. He asserted that everything is a possibility.

However, he made the point that Kano politics may be stifling the move.

You might encounter a situation where some vested interests, perhaps because of their own interests, a governor’s wishlist, or whatever else, won’t want us to join, he said.

Jibrin argued that it was necessary to allow the South to finish its eight years in power.

He stated, “I actually think the South should finish the last four years.”

Tinubu Is Not To Blame For North’s Uncertainty

The lawmaker, who represents the NNPP’s Bebeji/Kiru Federal Constituency in Kano State, refrained from suggesting that Tinubu should be held accountable for the region’s worsening insecurity.

It’s false to blame Tinubu for the security problems in the north and in Nigeria. Let’s face it, he argued.

Jibrin said there are groups opposed to Tinubu’s administration in the North, but Jibrin said there are also other groups.

There are people in the north who want him out, in fact. In addition, there will be residents of the southern region who want him ex. However, he continued, “you will have people who want him in.”

Jibrin, a long-time ally of President Tinubu, reiterated his hope for a second term.

I have no idea what will prevent him from winning the 2027 elections. There are no two ways to go about it. I identify as Tinubu. He and I both like each other. It’s been a great relationship, he said, regardless of party affiliation.

His remarks come as political maneuvers are being made ahead of the general election in 2027.

However, the opposition has proposed a coalition with Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, and Dino Melaye with less than two years left.

In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu secured 8, 794, 726 votes nationwide, defeating Atiku, who polled 6, 984, 520 and Obi with 6, 101, 533. Kano State was largely dominated by Kwankwaso, who came in a distant fourth overall with 1, 496 and 687 votes.

In Nigeria, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has implemented regulations to combat harassment, data breaches, and other unethical practices.

The FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, who quoted Tunji Bello as the commission’s executive vice chairman/chief executive officer, as introducing the new framework in Abuja on Wednesday, disclosed this in a statement.

“Nigerians have endured harassment, data breaches, and unethical practices by unregulated digital lenders for too long.”

The CEO noted that “innovation is welcome, but not at the expense of the rights and dignity of consumers or the rule of law,” and that these regulations are clear.

Bello continued, “The regulations provide the legal tools to prosecute violators and promote responsible digital finance. No consumer should be hounded, demonized, or conned into a lifelong debt by using fraudulent online banking.

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The 2025 Digital, Electronic, Online, or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations (DEON Consumer Lending Regulation), which was announced on July 21, 2018, took effect, according to the statement.

The regulations, which were created in accordance with Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act Sections 17, 18, and 163, establish a comprehensive framework to protect consumers in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital credit market.

Within 90 days of opening, all digital lenders must register with the FCCPC, with approval contingent on meeting requirements for transparency, data compliance, and consumer protection, as required by the provisions.

Operators who don’t comply with the rules could face fines of up to $100 million, or 1% of turnover, as well as directors’ suspension for up to five years.

The regulations require local ownership of at least one service provider for airtime and data lending services, and prohibit pre-authorised or automatic lending. They also outlaw unethical marketing.

Additionally, they restrict monopolistic agreements and require lender partnerships to be registered jointly without prior FCCPC approval.

The Commission urged all digital money lenders (DMLs), mobile money operators (MMOs), and service partners to obtain application forms, guidelines, and compliance requirements.

Along the Ozalla/Corner axis of the dual-carriage Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway, the Enugu State Police Command announced it had ordered an investigation into two road accidents that claimed 10 lives and injured 10 people.

On Wednesday, around 9 a.m. on the Enugu inward-bound lane, the police public relations officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, reported that the accidents, which left 10 people hospitalized, occurred at around 9 a.m.

He explained that a Toyota Corolla car that was trying to overtake another truck on the same route collided with a Howo truck, which was inscribed Visco Investment Global and loaded with bags of white cement.

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A Foton bus and a Daihatsu Hijet minibus, both known as “one-way,” were involved in the collision, according to the PPRO.

“Unfortunately, the truck and Toyota Corolla car caught fire, killing five of the car’s passengers. The treating physician also confirmed the death of a minibus passenger.

Another fatal crash occurred on the same road at about 3 p.m. A tricycle and a Sino truck belonging to Global Investment were involved this time.

In a statement released on the police command’s official website, Ndukwe claimed that the truck, which was loaded with cement and was traveling one-way from Garriki Enugu to Nenwe in the same inward-bound lane, struck the tricycle, killing its four drivers.

He claims that 10 other injured people are currently receiving medical attention while the victims were taken to a hospital and later declared dead.

The State Motor Traffic Department has been given a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accidents by Enugu State Command Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Giwa, while mourning the tragic loss of lives and expressing condolences to the deceased’s families.

The CP describes the accidents as avoidable, and firmly advises drivers to take extra caution, especially during these “Emergent months,” when road traffic usually increases and accidents occur more frequently.

Muyiwa Adejobi, the force’s public relations officer, has been shifted to the Delta State Police Command by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Adejobi recently received a promotion to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) from Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). &nbsp,

He succeeded CP Frank Mba at the time and was first commissioned as a CSP on February 16, 2022. Later, IGP Usman Alkali (Rtd.) confirmed him.

Adejobi’s deployment, according to the Force Headquarters, is a tactical assignment that places him in charge of operations in one of the country’s most sensitive commands.

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Police authorities stated that his redeployment is a part of the force’s regular progression and deployment, not a controversy.

With his extensive experience in operational management, community policing, and public and strategic communication, dcp adejobi’s new position in delta state is not only a promotion in rank but also a posting to a more strategic and sensitive position.