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The Nigerian government has announced the release of the results of the Professional Examination in General and Post Basic Nursing Programmes in 2024.
This was disclosed in a circular dated November 10, 2024, by the Nursery and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
A breakdown of the results showed that 18,139 candidates were successful, representing an 88 percent pass rate.
The statement noted that the heads of Nigeria’s nursing training institutions are hereby directed to check the result of their institution(S) online as of Tuesday, November 12, 2024.
“I am pleased to inform you that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare has approved the release of the results of the November 2024 Professional Examination in General/Post Basic Nursing Programmes.
“Summary of the results indicated that eighteen, thousand, one hundred and thirty Nine (18,139) candidates were successful, representing 88 percent pass.
“The breakdown is as follows: A) General Nursing Programme Twelve thousand, five hundred and thirty-four (12,534) candidates were successful, representing 88 percent pass; refresher program Forty-two (42) candidates were successful, representing 45 percent pass; Foreign Trained Nursing (FTN); One hundred and seventy-eight (178) candidates were successful in representing 43 percent pass; Post Basic Nursing Programmes Four thousand, five hundred and thirteen (4, 513) candidates were successful, representing a 96 percent pass rate and Community Nursing Programme.
“Eight hundred and seventy-two (872) candidates were successful, representing 74 percent pass”, the statement signed by the acting registrar of NMCN, Ngadi Alhassan, reads.
The Nigeria Army says troops have recorded success in the Niger Delta region as it dismantled over 43 illegal oil bunkering hubs, arrested 19 economic saboteurs and confiscated over 260,000 litres of stolen products.
Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, in a statement on Sunday, said the troops also demolished over 11 vehicles, 21 boats, as well as 11 motorcycles used for stealing crude oil in the region
According to the statement, in Rivers State, troops dismantled seven active illegal refining hubs around Abesa and Kula general area in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area (LGA), just as it confiscated over 60,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
It said the troops also destroyed several illegal bunkering havens, three fibre boats, five wooden boats, as well as recovered over 41,000 litres of stolen products.
It said in Buguma Creeks, four active illegal refining hubs, eight large cooking pots, massive receivers/reservoirs, three local boats stocked with over 12,500 litres of stolen products were destroyed.
According to the statement, several wooden boats with over 10,000 litres of stolen products were intercepted around Odagwa, Akwa, Oza West, Oyigbo,Obozur and Ayama general areas.
The Nigeria Labour Congress has accused Dangote Group and oil marketers of ganging up to rip Nigerians off in the Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) pricing.
NLC disclosed this in a communiqué on Sunday after its National Executive Council Meeting held on Friday.
The Union noted that the current price of petrol, which stood between N1060 and N1,200 per litre, is higher than the market value.
According to the NLC, the high petrol price in Nigeria is an indication of the prevalence of cost padding and abnormal margins in the country’s oil and gas sector at the detriment of Nigerians.
The Union called on the Nigerian government to immediately activate the Port Harcourt refinery takeoff and other government-owned refineries.
“The NEC-in-session noted with increasing dismay the shenanigans around the appropriate pricing of petrol (PMS) in Nigeria.
“It was observed that there may be a gang-up against Nigerians by fat cats in the industry as the current price of the product
is significantly higher than the real market price.
“Padding of costs and abnormal margins seems to be the order of the day considering the revelations from the
ongoing controversy between Marketers and Dangote Group.
“It is entirely possible that Nigerian workers and masses are being ripped off by those who control the levers of economic power in Nigeria, which explains why the domestic public refineries may not immediately be allowed to come on stream.
“NLC demands appropriate pricing of petrol and calls for the public domestic refineries in PH, Warri, and Kaduna to quickly come back on stream to break up the monopolistic stranglehold the big players have on the industry,” NLC stated.
Recall that in the past days, Petroleum marketers and Dangote Refinery have been enmeshed in controversy over petrol pricing.
DAILY POST reports that Dangote Group had announced that its petrol was sold at N960 and N990 per litre.
However, Petroleum Marketers had insisted that imported petrol is cheaper than Dangote Petrol.
But Dangote Refinery accused petrol marketers of importing cheap and substandard fuel, which was denied.
Recent data from the Major Energies Marketers Association showed that the landing cost of imported petrol stood at N971 per litre.
We get more dead bodies than patients, We can’t pay 70K minimum wage – Private Medical Practitioners Association
AFOLABI
The Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners, ANPMP, says private hospitals in Nigeria are folding up due to the ravaging economic downturn.
It also revealed that the nation’s economic situation has forced several Nigerians into self medication, resulting in organ failure and subsequently, death.
ANPMP’s Chairman, Dr Odia Festus Ihongbe in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST, weekend, in Abuja, said that morgues were being filled up with dead bodies, while hospital beds were empty.
According to him, “people come only when it becomes critical and they just want you to do magic. And some want to die in the hospital, maybe because of confusion in their families.”
Dr Odia revealed that Nigerians now google their symptoms and buy “drugs from chemists until it gets to the terminal stage.
“Sometimes, we keep them outside and issue death certificates because if you don’t do that, they will come in and dump the body in your hospital and say they are going to look for money for burial”.
Odia further lamented that private hospitals cannot afford to pay the N70,000 minimum wage recently approved by the federal government, owing to poor revenue.
He said, “How will the private sector pay the N70,000 minimum wage?
“Meanwhile the private sector employs 80 percent of doctors and nurses and other scientists, so we are more in number.
“If you have like eight to ten cleaners in your hospital, that’s already about N800,000. Who will pay that money?”
“We provide services to 80 percent of healthcare services in Nigeria yet the government does not show concern about developing the private sector.
“They do more lip service than giving us required attention. Whatever affects health, affects the private sector more.
“You have to provide accommodations for your workers, pay salaries like any other businesses.”
He lamented that prices of essential drugs and hospital equipment have skyrocketed due to the forex crisis.
“We buy drugs and other heavy equipment and the prices of all these things are galloping everyday.
“For instance, the oxygen machine that we used to buy for N25,000 some years ago, went to about N100,000 and we raised the alarm.
“Now the same machine is over N1.5 to N2 million. How do we survive it? These are even minor pieces of equipment.
“Now, the interest rate in banks is something else and no bank wants to help us because it’s not a ‘sharp sharp’ business”, he lamented.
He further stated that the only way the Nigerian medical system would work effectively was through the national health insurance, which according to him, collapsed 20 years ago.
He said, “Where the Nigerian medical system would have worked is through national health insurance. This has been destroyed for over 20 years.
“For over 20 years, they could only cover 4 percent of the Nigerian population. Recently they said the insurance has increased from N500 to N700, how can N700 treat a person for a whole month?
“They know the truth, but they are acting like they are ignorant. Some months ago, we said we are not treating again, then they added N400.
“You can see that there is no seriousness. Between now and December, we will stop treating them. They should go and look for how to treat their patients.
“The way Nigerians are dropping dead every day is alarming. If we have resolved as a country to reduce the population of Nigerians through negative health index, let us come out openly and say it.
“Because Nigerians can no longer access healthcare. Paracetamol that used to be N250 is now N7000. I don’t know how they want Nigerians to survive.
“Ordinary syringe of N250 is now more than N7000 per pack. We are all confused. People are just dying and mortuaries are filled up”.
On the issue of minimum wage, Odia stated that “if health insurance is working and the government is paying when they are supposed to pay, the hospital will be able to settle these bills.”
The Federal Government, through the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, has raised concerns over ministries conducting promotion exercises for special civil servants without adhering to due process.
According to Punch, a memo signed by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, cautioned such ministries against bypassing established protocols.
The document emphasized that cases involving promotions for special, deserving civil servants must be submitted to the Federal Civil Service Commission for approval.
The memo, addressed to key government officials, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, ministers, heads of departments, and agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and permanent secretaries, highlighted the need for compliance.
Dated October 28, 2024, the memo stated, “Henceforth, all Ministries/Extra-Ministerial Departments are advised to follow the extant procedure as provided in Part IV Section 24 of the “Guidelines for Appointments, Promotion and Discipline” (2004 Edition) issued by the Federal Civil Service Commission, in their requests for special promotion for deserving officers.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all requests for special promotion must be forwarded to the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission by the recommending Permanent Secretary, through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
“Kindly ensure strict compliance with the content of this Circular.”
The newly appointed Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Ata, has said his mission is to deliver Kano State to the All Progressives Congress in 2027.
The development came as the immediate-past minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo, faulted the decision to choose Ata as his replacement, describing it as a wrong political decision.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after his maiden visit to Kano after his swearing-in as minister, Ata said, “My appointment was mainly for political reasons, APC has lost Kano State and now it will take Kano State. The main problem is the Kano Central and I am from there.
“Even as a minister, I will continue to sit in this ward, we are going to work very hard to see that APC gains control of Kano State by 2027.
“My mission, like I said, is purely political. Even though I am posted to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, I will do my work but I will be coming to Kano State every week so as to work towards gaining control of the state.”
The minister appreciated President Bola Tinubu for the appointment, adding that it was not for his own person but for the citizens of Kano and Nigeria as well.
He, therefore, assured the President that come 2027, the APC will win Kano.
“This is my assurance given to the President,” he said.
The President had sacked Gwarzo alongside four other ministers in a recent cabinet reshuffle.
Speaking during an interview with the BBC Hausa service on Saturday, Gwarzo said the President should have chosen the APC standard-bearer in the 2023 governorship election, Nasiru Gawuna, in order to improve the party’s fortunes in Kano Central senatorial district.
The former minister said his sack was not due to poor performance but political schemings orchestrated by some chieftains of the party in Kano.
“I was surprised because I wasn’t found guilty of any wrongdoing or poor performance. And I was a minister of state with the senior minister who handles a large chunk of the ministry’s activities.
“Before the announcement, the President had put me on notice of his decision.
“He said Kano North was overloaded with political officers, hence the need to strike a balance. We gave our advice, but it was ignored.
“From there I began to suspect that some people were behind this because for me that wasn’t a valid reason.
“If it’s true that the ministerial slot will be allocated to Kano Central, we have our 2023 governorship candidate, who is also our leader in Kano Central. Why not consider giving him the slot?” Gwarzo queried.
He added that Mr Gawuna’s current position could not sustain him to properly manage his structures.
“Gawuna should be offered the position first, unless he declines, in which case it could be given to someone else.
“All his other colleagues who contested in other states were given positions, such as the candidates from Plateau and Zamfara states,” Mr Gwarzo added.
The former minister added that he had accepted his fate and moved on as he pledged continued support for the administration of the President.
US President-elect Donald Trump has announced the appointment of former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan as the incoming administration’s “Border Czar.”
In this role, Homan will oversee national border security and manage the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
Trump expressed confidence in Homan’s capabilities, stating, “I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders.”
Homan, who served as acting ICE director from January 2017 to June 2018, has been a prominent advocate for stringent immigration enforcement policies.
His tenure was marked by a significant increase in deportation arrests and the implementation of policies aimed at deterring illegal immigration.
His return to the administration signals a continuation of hardline immigration strategies.
In addition to Homan’s appointment, Trump had named Susie Wiles as his incoming White House Chief of Staff.
Wiles, who managed Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign, is recognized for her strategic expertise and leadership.
Her appointment marks the first time a woman will hold the position of White House Chief of Staff.
Wiles’ extensive experience in political consulting and her role in orchestrating Trump’s campaign are expected to influence the administration’s policy direction and operational efficiency.
Observers anticipate that Homan and Wiles will play pivotal roles in shaping the administration’s approach to border security and overall governance.
A former member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has insisted that the controversial tax reform bill presented by President Bola Tinubu will be passed into law by the National Assembly.
Jibrin, disagreed with the position of Borno Senator, Ali Ndume, who said the bill was dead on arrival.
Speaking on Sunday during an interview with Channels TV, Jibrin, who represented Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State in the House of Representatives, said contrary to the belief in certain quarters, the North is not against the bill.
He said the National Assembly would check the clauses in the bill, and it will be passed.
According to him, after the bill is passed, Nigerians would also be able to see that what President Bola Tinubu packaged in the bill is in their interest.
“It is not a consensus in the North that this bill should be shut down. And talking for myself and also how I know the National Assembly operates in terms of following procedures of the passage of the bill, I can be able to tell you authoritatively that the bill is not dead on arrival,” Jibrin said on the programme.
“I can explain to you that hundreds of clauses in these bills are things we have been pursuing for ages and I will be able to tell you this; the work that we are going to do for Nigerians to see all the clauses in detail and everything, I can confidently tell you that bill will go through the processes in the National Assembly and it will be passed,” he added.
Naija News reports that despite the controversy generated by the bill, including the recommendation by the National Economic Council led by Vice President Kashim Shettima for the bill to be stepped down, President Tinubu has insisted that the bill would not be withdrawn from the National Assembly.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has extended congratulations to Nigerians who recently won elections in various foreign countries.
In a statement signed by the Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols at NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the Chairman/CEO, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, lauded the accomplishments of four Nigerians who have attained significant political milestones.
The successful individuals include Dr. Oye Owolewa, who was re-elected as the Shadow Representative for the District of Columbia under the Democratic Party; Chiaka Barry, elected into the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Legislative Assembly representing the Ginninderra District under the Liberal Party; Segun Adeyina, re-elected as State Representative of District 110, Georgia, USA; and Yemi Mobolade, who made history as the first Black person elected as the Mayor of Colorado Springs, USA.
Dabiri-Erewa commended their achievements, emphasizing the importance of their contributions to the political landscapes of their respective communities and recognizing them as standard-bearers for Nigerians worldwide.
“Your victories demonstrate the resilience, dedication, and excellence of Nigerians in the global arena. We are proud of your successes and urge you to maintain the tenacious spirit as you serve in your new capacities,” Dabiri-Erewa said.
She prayed for their continued protection, strength, and wisdom in carrying out their responsibilities, urging them to remain committed to service and leadership.
Dr. Oye Owolewa, a pharmacist, expressed gratitude to his supporters for their confidence in re-electing him as the Shadow Representative of the District of Columbia. Chiaka Barry, known for her experience in legal practice, legislative drafting, and community service, has been celebrated for her dedication to public service.
Segun Adeyina brings over 25 years of experience in IT program and project management, having worked for Fortune 500 companies such as General Motors and Hewlett Packard/Cap Gemini.
Meanwhile, Yemi Mobolade’s election as the 42nd Mayor of Colorado Springs marked a historic moment, being the first Black individual to hold the position in the city.
See the statement below:
The estimated cost of landing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, on Nigeria’s shores has seen a significant 20.34 per cent reduction, falling to ₦971.57 per litre over the past three months.
This decline, which includes importation and distribution expenses, reflects relief from global market fluctuations and supply chain dynamics.
Despite this drop, the retail price of petrol in Nigeria has surged by ₦443 or 71.79 per cent, increasing from ₦617 per litre on August 1, 2024, to ₦1,060 per litre as of November 8, 2024. Independent marketers are selling at even higher prices, up to ₦1,180 per litre.
Data from the Major Energies Marketers Association’s daily energy bulletin indicates that in August, oil marketers imported petrol at ₦1,219 per litre when Brent crude was priced at $80.72 per barrel, with an exchange rate of ₦1,611 per dollar. During this period, petrol retailed at ₦617 per litre.
However, by November, the landing cost had dropped to N971.57 per litre, with Brent crude priced at $75.57 per barrel and the exchange rate at ₦1,665.84 per dollar.
Yet, petrol now sells for ₦1,060 per litre at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) outlets and ₦1,180 at independent marketer stations.
The data also shows that the landing cost stood at ₦945.63 in September and ₦903.64 per litre in October 2024.
The increase in retail price, despite falling landing costs, is attributed to factors such as the ongoing deregulation of the fuel market, exchange rate fluctuations, rising inflation, and wider economic challenges.
Experts expect that the decline in landing costs should result in lower retail prices. However, on Sunday, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) accused fuel marketers of inflating petrol prices, stating that the current pump price is disproportionately high compared to the actual market value.
In a communique following its National Executive Council meeting, the NLC argued that Nigerians are being exploited, enduring heightened suffering and hunger due to government policies pushing many into poverty.
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Ebonyi State-based prophet, His Holiness, Spirit Emmanuel Chukwudi, who prophesied the emergence of Mr Donald Trump has again said that former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will still become the president of Nigeria.
According to him, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has disappeared from the spirit realm.
Chukwudi, who is the General Overseer King of Kings Deliverance Ministries Worldwide, Gbonum Ulepa Ntezi, Ishielu Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, gave the prophecy while speaking in an interview shortly after Trump defeated Kamala Harris last week.
Chukwudi had days before the US election, predicted victory for Trump.
He has now said Atiku will become president, as God has directed him to announce it again to Nigerians.
He stated “Today, the Lord has said it again, that just as Donald Trump was elevated to lead Americans on November 5, so shall it come to pass in Nigeria regarding His word on Atiku Abubakar.
“I prophesied in 2019 and 2023, that Uzodinma will win, and he won.
“In 2011, I told Buhari that Goodluck Jonathan will be president.
“Jonathan won and Buhari lost. In 2014, I told Goodluck to retire, that Buhari will rule. The word of God came through me as Buhari won and Goodluck lost.
“In 2015, didn’t I say that Prince Abubakar Audu of APC will win in Kogi? Didn’t he win? He won and died.
“In 2020, I warned Chief Chekwas Okorie of APGA and UPP not to join APC, that he will disappear permanently from politics. Didn’t it happen?”
While decrying the release of fake prophecy by people he called puppet prophets, he declared that: “For many years, I have prophesied that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will become president. It has not yet happened and Nigerians are arguing that my prophecy is false. But know that the word of God does not fail.
“I have made tons and tons of prophecies, and they all came to pass. I don’t prophecy and fail. The word of God lives in me. I cannot even list half of them here.
“Three times, I have said that Donald Trump will be pardoned by God because he is on a rescue mission to save America and the world from the kingdom of darkness. Just a few days before the election, it happened again as I said that he must become president.
“Just like Trump, Atiku is coming. Every word of the Lord shall come to pass and His Word on Atiku shall also come to pass.
“As a matter of fact, the APC has disappeared from the spirit realm. So, Atiku is coming. He will be president. He has been reserved to save Nigeria, and it shall manifest in our presence.”
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has urged the state task force for price control of food items to take swift action against aggregators hoarding food items in their warehouses.
Bago made the call during the flagged-off of the Niger Foods’ corn harvest along Bida Road in a bid to achieve his Feed the Nation Agenda through mechanised agriculture.
He explained that the move was aimed at preventing artificial scarcity and ensure availability of essential commodities at reasonable prices.
” The activities of aggregators often lead to hikes in prices of food items as they stockpile them in their warehouses, ” he noted.
The governor, who was elated with the harvest, disclosed that so far, there are more than 100,000 hectares of corn fields of Niger Foods spread across the state, adding that 100 combined harvesters have been deployed to the farms.
According to him: “The use of the combined harvesters would reduce losses between 80 and 90 per cent. The state is expecting about a million metric tonnes of corn this year aside from rice, Soya bean, sesame, guinea corn and millet.”
In a related development, Bago visited the Emi Guye community around the farm, and interacted with the people while directing that some basic amenities such as water and solar energy be provided to the community and other adjourning communities.
Responding on behalf of the community, the village Head of Emi Guye, Alh. Usman Mohammed, thanked the governor and commended him for his development strides in the state.
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has urged Nigerian judges, particularly justices of the Supreme Court to administer justice with the fear of God.
Sanusi made this call at a public discourse in Lagos with the theme, “Ethics, Morality And The Law,” charging them to remember that they are accountable to God.
The event was held in honour of Justice Habeed Abiru who was recently elevated as a justice of the Supreme Court.
He said his New Year resolution is that he no longer wants to be controversial.
The monarch advised the judges to be upright and should not allow hatred for people to make them do what is not right.
He also charged them to focus more on substantive justice, and not rely on technicalities.
“Do not be an advocate for wrongdoers and do not be an advocate for those who deceive themselves, because Allah does not love sinful wrongdoers.
“When your friends come to you, when government comes to you, and you listen to them and you tilt judgement in their favour, ask yourself, who will be your advocate before God, on the Day of Judgment?” he asked.
A northern Nigeria group, Northern Youths Movement, NYM, has tackled former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido over his recent comments concerning the affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Lamido had come hard on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, calling him a “small boy in PDP history” and asked “where he was in 1999”.
However, in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, which was signed by its Chairman, Mallam Ishaya Jato, the NYM reminded Lamido that those he kept referring to as children and small boys were the ones who did not let the PDP die “in aftermath of the 2014 rebellion in which he (Lamido) played prominent roles before he backed out.”
The youth group said it was ironic that those who were children when PDP was being formed had grown to maturity and were now fathers of many political children, while some of the elders of 1998 are still acting like children.
According to the group, “Little wonder that after being a Minister and Governor for eight years, an elder like Lamido had no other person in Jigawa State to present as PDP governorship candidate other than his own son.
“If in the estimation of Lamido, who became a political elder at 50 years, 57-year-old Wike is still a small boy, we wonder what he (Lamido) has become 36 years after he became an elder? Should he now be seen as an ancestral PDP elder?”
They accused Lamido of disparaging former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, as well as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in like fashion.
“Two years ago, Lamido publicly said ‘Obasanjo was an unknown prisoner when PDP was formed.’ Ironically, he went on to admonish Obasanjo to stop talking down on people publicly.
“In 2019, it was Atiku that Lamido described as his junior in politics, saying that he was in the House of Representatives in 1979 when Atiku was still an employee of Nigerian Customs Services.
“As a sitting PDP Governor, Lamido was everywhere disparaging President Jonathan, calling his government a failure.
“Even out of office, Lamido has not stopped disparaging President Jonathan.
“Therefore, we are not surprised that since Lamido and others deceived Atiku to lose the 2023 presidential election, by making him to see himself as President-In-Waiting, more than seven months before the election, he has been venting his frustration and anger on Wike, just because he, alongside other governors like Seyi Makinde, Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi refused to be treated like children in a their own party,” the group further claimed.
DAILY POST recalls that the PDP has yet to recover from its loss at the 2023 presidential election, with a major leadership crisis bedevilling the party ever since.