The United Kingdom’s economy has overcome recession earlier than expected in the first quarter of 2023.

The economy grew by 0.6 per cent between January and March, the fastest rate for two years, official figures showed.

Recall that last year, the UK economy slipped into recession after shrinking for two three-month periods in a row.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the economy had “turned a corner”, but Labour said this was no time for a “victory lap”.

On Thursday, the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, told the BBC that the UK was seeing a recovery, although it was not a strong one.

Interest rates have been at their highest for 16 years, meaning people are paying more to borrow money for things such as mortgages and loans, but savers have also received better returns.

The Bank on Thursday said that inflation, which measures the rate of prices rise, would fall close to its target level in the next couple of months. That had boosted expectations of a rate cut in June. However, the growth figures that were stronger than expected dampened those expectations.

29 Generals of the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army have retired from active military service.

They were pulled out of active service at the Jaji Military Cantonment in Kaduna State on Friday.

Naija News reports that out of the 29 retired infantry officers pulled out of active service at the Jaji Military Cantonment in Kaduna State, 19 were Major Generals and 10 Brigadiers General.

Speaking on behalf of the retirees, Maj.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu, vowed that they would always be committed to the military profession.

He urged those still in active service to sustain the modest strategic, operational and tactical achievements made, and also to surpass them.

”The frontline is expanding and the Nigerian Army is becoming increasingly committed with the eyes of the nation and the world on it.

”Our Infantry Corps must therefore not relent or rest on her oars as the entire Nigerian Army depend largely on the Infantry Corps to achieve its core mandate and mission.

”I admonish the Infantry that as the threats to Nigeria sovereignty is becoming asymmetric in time and space, you must be proactively way ahead of our adversaries in all aspects of the unfolding combat scenarios,” he added.

Ezugwu also called on the Infantry Corps to review some of its tactical and operational strategies in the areas of night fighting capabilities, and frontline intelligence gathering on enemy activities.

He further advised the corps to strengthen basic field crafts training in the areas of aggressive fighting patrols to dominate at least 5 km radius of their locations, Ambushes, listening and observation posts as well as all levels of battle drills.

Ezugwu advocated for employment of modern technology and ICT enablers, and deliberate efforts to develop the leadership skills of junior commanders.

He described military career as the most priceless, honourable and sacrificial call to duty globally, and thanked God for allowing them to end their careers alive after serving the nation for between 30 -38 years.

The General described the day as full of emotional feelings, nostalgic memories, wholesome gratitude, unending joy and unwavering fulfilment.

“For every service personnel, retirement from active service remains a natural and inevitable end which begins to count from the day we passed out from NDA as officers in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

”Our joy and that of our families, colleagues and friends gathered here today knows no bounds as we take a final bow from the Infantry Corps.

“On behalf of my retired colleague Generals, I most respectfully and dutifully appreciate the incumbent Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Taoreed Lagbaja for organising this benefitting and memorable pulling out parade in our honour,” he added.

A non-governmental organization, identified as the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), has initiated a court process seeking an order to compel 40 Nigerian lawmakers to vacate their seats at the National Assembly.

The group argued that it is wrong for the lawmakers in question to hold concurrent membership of the National Assembly and ECOWAS Parliament as well as the Pan-African Parliament and be receiving emoluments from them all.

Naija News understands the organization had earlier called on the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, to declare the seats of the affected lawmakers vacant for belonging to multiple parliaments at the same time.

The body went ahead to serve a pre-action notice on the Senate President and copied the Clerk of the National Assembly, indicating its readiness to seek judicial redress if the call was not heeded.

The body, in the letter dated April 8, signed by its Secretary, Tonye Clinton Jaja, warned that in the event that the Senate President fails to comply with its request within seven working days from the date of the letter, it shall commence a lawsuit to seek the interpretation of a court of law.

The group insisted that the practice of serving both parliaments violates Section 68(1) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 18, Supplementary Act of the ECOWAS Parliament, 2017, which prohibits a serving member of a parliament from serving with it and collecting emoluments.

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, ALDRAP asks the court to determine whether, having regard to Section 68 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution (as altered), any member of the National Assembly who wishes to take a seat at the ECOWAS Parliament and/or the Pan-African Parliament, ought to first resign from the National Assembly.

“In the alternative: whether having regard to Section 12 of the 1999 Constitution (as altered), the provisions of the ECOWAS Parliament legislation, which allocates 35 seats to Nigeria, has not yet become legally operative within Nigeria considering that both the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly have not subjected the said parliament to the legislative procedure prescribed under Section 12,” the suit read.

They prayed the court to make a “Declaration that the 5th defendant (Clerk of the National Assembly) shall immediately discontinue the payment of salaries and all forms of remuneration to all 40 lawmakers who were recently inaugurated as either members of the 6th Assembly of the ECOWAS Parliament and/or the Pan-African Parliament.”

It also prayed for an order directing the Clerk of the National Assembly to immediately discontinue the payment of salaries and all forms of remuneration to all the 40 lawmakers who were recently inaugurated as either members of the 6th assembly of the ECOWAS Parliament and/or the Pan-African Parliament.

The group, in the same vein, asks the court to order the 6th defendant (INEC) to immediately conduct bye-elections within 30 days from the date of the vacancy to fill all 40 vacant seats at the National Assembly.

Naija News recalls over thirty members of the National Assembly were, in April, inaugurated as members of the ECOWAS parliament.

Nollywood actress, Eniola Badmus, has reportedly transitioned into politics with her recent appointment as an aide to the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

Eniola Badmus has been assigned the role of Special Assistant for Social Events and Public Hearings under Tajudeen Abbas’ administration.

The internet was abuzz with news of Eniola Badmus’ appointment, as videos capturing her swearing-in ceremony and receiving the appointment letter spread rapidly across online platforms on Friday, May 10, 2024.

Before the news hit the headlines, Eniola teased her followers with a post that seemed to foreshadow the upcoming announcement, leaving them curious and eager for more details.

Addressing her critics head-on, the stunning star highlighted her tenacious hustling spirit

“I have been a hustler my whole life, you crãzy af if you think I’m not going to get it,” Eniola wrote.

The Nollywood actress celebrated the 2024 International Women’s Day by attending the National Assembly Women’s Day conference, where she met with the Honorable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honorable Tajudeen Abbas.

Sharing photos of the encounter, Eniola received praise from her fans, who hailed her for the inspiring moment.

Notably, Eniola Badmus emerged as one of the most outspoken advocates among Nollywood stars for Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential ambitions.

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a motorcyclist, identified as Afeez Mustapha, for allegedly raping a female passenger in the State.

Naija News reports that the state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the arrest in a statement via X on Friday.

According to Odutola, Mustapha was conveying the female passenger to her destination when he suddenly changed direction by taking another route different from that of the passenger.

Upon getting to a desolate location, the suspect took advantage of the lone victim and reportedly raped her.

Odutola said Mustapha had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

The post read, “Commercial motorcycle rider arrested for rape on May 9, 2024. One Afeez Mustapha is in SCID for sexual assault of a female passenger, after diverting to a route different from that of the passenger.”

Sonny Echono, executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), has proposed the implementation of tuition fees at federal universities for sustainability. 

Echono spoke in Abuja during an education sector conference themed: ‘Funding for Tertiary Education in Nigeria’. Federal universities have long maintained a tuition-free policy, guaranteeing tertiary education for the wards of low-income Nigerians.

They receive funding from the government in the form of annual budgetary allocations for salaries, capital expenditure, and running costs. Echono said the federal government should no longer be the only funding source of higher education in the country.

He said the inability of the government to solely finance tertiary education necessitates that the institutions be given the leverage to explore alternative funding. “It is worth repeating that considering the circumstances surrounding the funding of higher education in Nigeria today, the government alone cannot be the sole source of financing for education,” Echono said.

“Cost-sharing, to enable parents and the students who are primary beneficiaries to contribute to the funding of the system through the payment of tuition fees, to complement government subvention to the institution. It is also instructive to state that some institutions owned by state governments have already started implementing this initiative.”

Echono advocated for the implementation of the student loan scheme. “The interest-free loan with a moratorium will provide an avenue for a growing number of students to access loans at affordable rates to pay their fees and support their education."

“The significance of the student loan scheme, which targets the primary beneficiary of education, is that it shifts the burden of payment by the student to after graduation when the graduate is able to earn and repay the loan.”

He added that tertiary institutions should explore partnerships and collaborations with funding agencies and development partners — locally and internationally — to attract support and resources.

The government of Kogi State has affirmed its determination to rescue the abducted students from Confluence University of Science and Technology, CUSTEC, Osara, Okene, alive and well.

Naija News earlier reported that unknown gunmen suspected to be bandits, on Thursday night, invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC), Osara, Okene in Kogi State.

It was gathered that the bandits stormed the university around 9.00 p.m. and abducted some students who were reading for their upcoming exams

The state government, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, assured the public of their effective management of the situation.

The Kogi government stated its commitment to pursuing the kidnappers with the assistance of security agents, including local hunters, and reiterated its resolve to resist terrorism.

The statement read, “Immediately the report was received, Governor Ahmed Ododo activated the security architecture to track the kidnappers and ensure the abducted students are rescued and the abductors apprehended.

“Hundreds of local hunters who understand the terrain, as well as the conventional security agents, are currently combing the area to ensure safe rescue of the abducted students who were kidnapped in the classrooms.

“So far, nine students have been reported missing.

“We wish to assure students, parents and the entire people of Kogi State that the Government is on top of the situation and all the abducted students will be rescued alive.

“Governor Ododo has also directed that security agents be positioned around all tertiary institutions in the State.

“We wish to commend the local hunters and other security agents who rose stoutly to engage the kidnappers.

“Their gallantry and dedication ensured that the kidnappers did not have a field day which would have been more calamitous.

“The state government will spare nothing in ensuring that all the students abducted are safely rescued and reunited with their families.

“We won’t submit to terror. We shall prevail.”

…As FG plans to crash cost of renewable energy supply

The World Resource Institute, WRI, says over 85m Nigerians do not have access to electricity, making it number one country in the world with citizens living without electricity provision.

The Lead of the Energy Access Explorer at the World Resources Institute, Dimitris Mendis disclosed this at a two day Open Source in Energy Access Symposium organized by Clean Tech Hub in Abuja.

He said Nigeria is the number one country in the whole world when it comes to people that have no access to electricity with close to half of it’s citizens wallowing in darkness.

With this, Mendis said provision of modern healthcare, modern agriculture, modern education and modern livelihoods become a mirage in the country.

In order to address this challenge, he said what the country should do is “to be able to understand where these communities, where these underserved communities are and come out with a marshal plan to provide them access in order to bridge the wide gap.

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According to him, ‘‘once we identify and map these communities, we need to assess the best ways to supply energy to these communities. Because energy is critical for socioeconomic development; energy for health, energy for education, energy for agriculture, for livelihoods.’’

He said WRI is pioneering a close collaboration between the Rural Electrification Agency and a number of other stakeholders across numerous countries to develop a digital public good, which is essential to bridge the energy access gap.

‘‘We call this the Energy Access Explorer. It supports with integrated and inclusive energy planning, where are the unserved communities and how shall they be best served.

‘‘And it supports also with effective data management and data governance. This is not a challenge for a single organization. This is a cross-sectoral, cross-thematic challenge.

‘‘So we need to bring together stakeholders from various organizations, key data providers, whether it’s the Ministry of Power and the Royal Electrification Agency, whether it’s line ministries in health,

agriculture, environment, finance, bureau of statistics, subnational governments, clean energy enterprises, development organizations’’

On how this particular infrastructure, which is called the Energy Access Explorer, can support integrated and inclusive energy planning, he said governments are utilizing this open source infrastructure to identify areas where access to energy should be expanded.

‘‘Based on a data-informed approach, we are informed by data. Better data leads to better insights. And better insights can lead to better decisions’’.

The CEO of the Ennexus Foundation, one of the organizers of the Symposium, … advised Nigerian companies and government to collaborate to address the energy challenges and provide energy services.

He called on them to leverage open source platforms available that can help in managing, visualizing and structure their information for seamless sharing in the ecosystem.

Also speaking on energy access, the Director for Energy, Transportation, and Infrastructure at the National Council on Climate Chang, Michael Ivenso said government the current administration is seeking to solve the problem,. particularly for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, SMEs through the provision of incentive to importers of renewable energy goods and services. Such incentive according to him include reduction of costs of importation of goods and establish opportunities for local manufacturing.

Ivenso, who joined his voice in calling for collaboration between public and private sector establishments noted that government one doesn’t have all the answers but needs support of the private sector to succeed.

“We are looking for this additional support and resources from the private sector to help us come together and co-create something that works for everybody.

“The reason why we’re here today really amplifies what you just talked about. And I mentioned the incentive the government is providing to importers of renewable energy goods and services is to reduce costs and to establish opportunities for local manufacturing.

“So that way, the exposure of local manufacturers and service providers to foreign exchange is actually elevated, significantly reduced.

“So one dollars to N500 today, tomorrow is N1,500, you can’t plan. And your capacity to produce based on this fluctuating thing really becomes hampered. And so if you have local manufacturing, then you have all your inputs here locally. Except maybe for a few things. And so incentivizing local manufacturing is extremely important. Creating and crafting financial products and services that allows the common man, including small businesses and homes, to uptake renewable energy and pay over time.”

Tiwa Savage has revealed how she has been able to balance filmmaking with motherhood and music.

During the press briefing of her debut film ‘Water and Garri’ on Thursday, the ‘Koroba’ hitmaker praised her team members for helping her strike a balance between all the roles she had taken up.

She also spoke about her desire to “inspire people” to be multifaceted, adding that they do not have to “stick to one thing”.

“I hope to inspire people, just be an inspiration to many different talents out there that they do not have to stick to one thing,” he said.

“We can wear different hats and we can execute it excellently. That would be what I would love to achieve.

“I have a great team and I feel like we have been working on balance. The people around me have been able to balance things, even balance motherhood as well.

“For me, it is just having the right people and making the right decisions. We do not always have to answer or accept every offer but we do accept the ones that make sense.”

Asked if she had to make a choice between music and acting, the 44-year-old filmmaker said: “I would go for the one that is paying more”.