The local currency's decline worsened yesterday, with the naira falling to N1,639.41 per dollar at the official exchange rate.

The figure yesterday indicated a whooping loss of N34 after the dollar exchanged for N1,606 the previous day, according to the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) rate.

Also the black market rate also dipped yesterday as the naira lost N5 against the dollar, exchanging at N1,645/$1, as against N1,640 the previous day.

The Federal Government has announced that only those with National Identification Numbers will be eligible to buy from the 30,000 metric tonnes of milled rice available at a subsidized rate of N40,000 per 50kg bag.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, stated during the flag-off ceremony on Thursday, that the rice intervention will be sold strictly on a “one person, one bag” basis.

Kyari explained that the 50kg bags of rice, priced at a flat rate of ₦40,000, are part of the Federal Government’s effort to provide subsidised milled rice to help alleviate the ongoing food crisis in Nigeria.

“This food intervention can be said to be timely considering the times and challenges we are in as citizens of this great nation.

“As one of the numerous efforts of the present administration to cushion the effect of high cost of food commodities, kindly join me in applauding the immense efforts of the present administration such as the release of 42,000MT of Assorted Food Commodities (AFC) to vulnerable and the 30,000MT of milled rice which is being flagged-off for sales to Nigerians today September 5, 2024,” he stated.

On buyer verification, Kyari explained that a multi-disciplinary government task force has been deployed to ensure transparency, broad distribution and the overall success of the initiative.

He emphasised that the process was designed to prevent individuals from obtaining more than one 50kg bag of rice, noting that beneficiaries will be verified through identification methods such as the NIN and phone numbers to prevent fraudulent individuals from accessing multiple bags at the expense of other citizens.

“In view of the above, I urge our dear citizens to cooperate with the relevant agencies of government who will try to serve you to achieve this great initiative of government.

“It is expected that with the injection of 30,000MT (1000 trucks of 30MT each of this important staple into Nigeria’s food balance sheet, it will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer food substitutes and alternatives,” he said.

Speaking on the process Nigerians would have to follow to purchase the rice, the Director of Strategic Grains Reserve, Ministry of Agriculture, Haruna Sule, explained that civil servants can access the grains at designated points of sale by using their Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System details.

“To qualify for the one person one bag, you must have a National Identification Number, of course, you have phone numbers and those in public service are all registered under the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) platform,” he said.

“Once you have any of these three, at the point of sale, with the NIN logged into the system, a code number and a Treasury receipt will be generated, and with that, the buyer can get to the collection centre and pick up his bag. The receipt will indicate, the time and point of collection to eliminate stampede,” he added.

Sule explained that once the buyer provides the code number, a treasury receipt will be issued as proof of payment to the government, adding that the buyer will then receive a receipt indicating the collection point and time.

He further clarified that the collection point is separate from the sales point, adding, “At the collection point, you present your code to our officials, and you will be handed a bag of rice.”

In July, the Minister of Information, Idris Mohammed, announced the sale of subsidised rice.

Following this, the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, through its Human Resources Management Department, instructed civil servants to register for the purchase of the food item.

However, the government later suspended the plan without providing any explanation for the decision.

The Yoruba Council of Elders, YCE, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to alleviate the suffering of the masses.

They also urged him not further worsen the pains with the hike in petrol price across the nation.

The YCE, in a statement by its General Secretary, Oladipo Oyewole, said though it was hopeful that there will be a positive turnaround in the country, “there is, presently, a lot of suffering in the land.”

The statement reads;

“The YCE remains hopeful that Nigeria will have a turnaround. However, going by scanty information available on Government pursuits and activities, there is, presently, a lot of suffering in the land. Be that as it may, we of YCE stand on our strong position that the interest of the masses to live a good life should be given full attention.

Without regular supply of electricity and with the official announcement of an increase in the price of Petroleum Products (PMS), the current hardship cannot but be increased in daily living by Nigerians. The Federal Government ought to immediately pursue every avenue to make available to our people, the dividends of democracy. Not through the distribution of palliatives (that does not seem to filter to the bottom) but by putting in place avenues to enhance proper/quality living through effective governance administration.

Every Nigerian should be entitled to enjoy our common resources. Indeed, Nigerians are suffering deeply at this time, no light, no fuel, no food. Mr President should, without delay, revisit his drawing board to attend to the short-term needs of Nigerians (the immediate needs of the people) whilst pursuing the long-term vision of making Nigeria a better place for growth and development

As Elders, YCE wants immediate succour for the people to boost the welfare of Nigerians so that all can live in comfort and harmony

As far as this Elders Council is concerned a lot of administrative work by government is (absolutely) required for the masses of this country to live, stay alive as respectable and responsible people. The state of this nation today is a pill that has a bitter taste.

The administration of President Bola Tinubu should do something quickly to ensure proper steering of its intentions to establish and install better governance in Nigeria.

Infact, the Presidency should doall possible to alleviate the suffering of all Nigerians immediately and without delay.”

In the Umudosi community of Obingwa Local Government Area in Abia State, a tricycle rider named Amadi Alozie attacked and killed his mother while she was trying to save her grandson from a suspected ritual assault by his father.

According to Vanguard, community sources said that trouble started for the late woman about 10p.m. when she made an effort to rescue her grandson from his father, who severed his private part in a suspected ritual attack.

It was gathered that the tricycle rider had attacked his son, and severed his private part which made the boy give a loud shout which attracted his grandmother.

Angered that his plan had been foiled by his mother, the tricycle rider attacked the mother and macheted her to death before neighbours could respond to the attack.

A resident of the community told Vanguard that nemesis later caught up with the tricycle rider as he fell into a pit in his bid to escape from the incident.

However, the neighbours were able to rescue the injured son, who lost his private part and is now battling for survival at an undisclosed hospital in the area.

Edwin Clark, leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), says Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police (IGP), should arrest Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), over a comment credited to him.

While speaking at a congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers state in August, Wike said he would “put fire” in the states of governors siding with Siminalayi Fubara, the governor.

Wike and Siminalayi have been at loggerheads over issues concerning Rivers.

The rift between both politicians has created two factions in the Rivers house of assembly — with each camp electing a speaker loyal to the minister and the governor.

In an open letter addressed to Egbetokun entitled ‘Arrest Wike Now With a Warrant of Arrest’, the elder statesman said Wike “has gone overboard in his macabre dance”.

“As we lawyers say, nobody is above the law and the law must take its course,” he said.

“If you could in the past arrest Omoyele Sowore for similar or less implicating threats against public peace and public officials, if you are right now leading prosecution in law courts against people who participated in ‘End Bad Governance’ protest, what are you waiting to act in this case of Wike?

“My dear IG, at well over 97 years of age, and having held various positions in government including being a Minister over 50 years ago, I am shocked that a public officer who is an appointee of a serving President can descend to this level.

“When we worked under Gen. Yakubu Gowon, GCFR, in the Federal Executive Council, the code of conduct which we were expected to keep especially as it pertained to being instruments of public order was at the highest level.

“There is nothing that Wike has not done in his attempt to sabotage the government of Siminalayi Fubara and install the former speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, his brother, as Governor.

“But all have failed.”

Clark said Wike should not be allowed to change the rules of the party arbitrarily because of his feud with Fubara who is the leader of the PDP in Rivers.

The Federal Government has approved a 50 per cent increase in the feeding allowance for inmates in Nigeria, effective from August 2024. This measure aims to address rising food costs and improve inmate welfare.

The spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Service, Abubakar Umar, confirmed the increase during an interview with PUNCH Online on Thursday.

He described it as the “first phase” of a broader review intended to enhance living conditions for inmates.

“The inmate feeding allowance has been increased by 50 per cent, effective from August 2024. This is just the first phase,” Umar said.

He added that further reviews would follow, particularly due to the soaring cost of food.

“The FG will also consider additional reviews. This is just the first phase. Normally, there is a period when inmate feeding allowances are reviewed. Following a presentation during the budget process, the FG deemed it necessary to adjust the allowance due to the rising cost of food. Further adjustments are expected,” Umar explained.

According to the latest figures from the NCoS, Nigeria currently has 84,575 inmates.

For the 2024 budget year, the NCoS has been allocated over N24.4 billion for catering materials and foodstuffs.

The need for an increase in the feeding allowance has been a public concern, especially after it was revealed in December 2023 by the Controller General of the NCoS, Haliru Nababa, that N750 was allocated per day for each prisoner, while N800 was spent daily on feeding each of the 900 dogs in the service.

Inmate welfare issues gained further attention recently after a viral video from the Afokang Custodial Centre in Calabar, Cross River State, showed inmates being served poorly cooked meals.

This sparked public outrage and led to an investigation ordered by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, into the conditions at the facility.

The NCoS confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, emphasising that the incident does not reflect the overall standards of care and commitment to inmate welfare across the country.

The University of Minnesota is offering significant financial support to international students including Nigerians through its prestigious Undergraduate Scholarship, also known as the Global Excellence Scholarship.

This initiative, as reported by Scholarship Region, aims to attract top talent from around the world, providing up to $60,000 in funding to help cover educational expenses for deserving students.

Details provide that international students who apply before 15 November 2024, will be automatically considered for the scholarship.

Scholarships AF reported that “this scholarship offers substance support to outstanding international first-year students and transfer students. The GES awards are also highly competitive and based on academic merit.”

The scholarship, as reported, is available to international students applying for undergraduate programmes at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

The university is reputed for its broad range of academic disciplines and its comprehensive approach to education.

“We are committed to fostering new knowledge and preparing our students to tackle global challenges,” a university spokesperson said.
For its eligibility, applicants must be an international student seeking admission into an undergraduate degree programme with full-time enrollment in the honours programme.

Prospective beneficiaries are also expected to have exceptional personal skills and academic merit; obtain a high school transcript and/or GCSE results and if the transcript is  not in English, also require a certified translation.

Applicants are also required to have obtained a high school certificate or equivalent, hold an offer for a full-time programme at the university and for English Language requirements, applicants are mandated to provide evidence of meeting the University of Minnesota’s minimum English language proficiency requirements.

The institution said that they accept results from English Proficiency Tests including TOEFL, with a test score of 79, IELTS, with a test score of 6.5 in Writing, Pearson Test of Academic English, with a test score of 59, Cambridge Assessment English (CAE),  with a test score of 180, and Duolingo, with a test score of 110.

To qualify, interested students are urged to apply for admission into the University of Minnesota’s undergraduate programmes.

Then upon submission of their application, they will be automatically considered for the scholarship based on an overall assessment.

Candidates are also to maintain their F-1 immigration status to remain eligible for the scholarship, noting that no separate application is required for the scholarship itself.

Operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 56 persons suspected to be internet fraudsters in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The arrests were carried out between September 3 and 4, 2024, at different locations following credible intelligence on the activities of the suspected fraudsters that have thrown unsuspected citizens into tears through their dishonest operations.

A statement signed by the EFCC’s head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale listed items recovered from the suspects to include 18 different brands of exotic cars, laptops, expensive smartphones, and charms.

Oyewale added that suspects would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of the ongoing investigations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared his support for the candidate of the Democratic Party, Kamala Harris in the upcoming US presidential election.

The backing has been seen as an apparent sarcastic remark a day after Washington accused Moscow of seeking to influence the vote.

Putin comments on political and social issues in the United States often with sarcasm.

He said last year that the US political system was “rotten” and that Washington could not lecture other countries about democracy.

“Firstly, (US President Joe) Biden recommended all his supporters support Mrs Harris,” Putin said during a question-and-answer session at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

“Here, we are going to do that too, we’re going to support her,” he added, with a wry smile.

“She laughs so contagiously that it shows that everything is fine with her,” the Russian leader said.

“(Former US President Donald) Trump has imposed as many sanctions on Russia as any president has ever imposed before, and if Harris is doing well, perhaps she will refrain from such actions.”

In February, Putin backed Biden over Trump, calling the current president more “predictable”.

The White House called on Putin to “stay out” of US elections.

Putin’s comments came a day after the United States indicted two employees of the state-run Russian news network RT and slapped sanctions on its top editors.

Washington accused them of trying to influence the upcoming US ballot.