Good day! Below is a Summary of News Stories Across Nigeria and Abroad:
1. President Bola Tinubu has signed four Executive Orders one of which is the suspension of the five per cent Excise Tax on telecommunication services as well as the Excise Duties escalation on locally manufactured products. The Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake announced this on Thursday while briefing journalists at the State House in Abuja. He stated that the President also signed the Finance Act (Effective Date Variation) Order, 2023, which now defers the commencement date of the changes contained in the Act from May 23, 2023 to September 1, 2023. According to the presidential spokesman, this is to ensure adherence to the 90 days’ minimum advance notice for tax changes as contained in the 2017 National Tax Policy. CHANNELS
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2. A forensic analysis has declared that the content of the 2017 viral video which captured former Governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, allegedly receiving bundles of dollar notes as a bribe from a contractor and stuffing them in his flowing dress was not doctored but real video. Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Rimingado made this known on Wednesday, during “A One Day Public Dialogue on Anti-Corruption Crusade in Kano”, stating that the authenticity of the videos had been confirmed. According to Rimingado, since the release of the video, he had been pressured from all quarters to either prove the embattled governor’s innocence or guilt. He added that since the commission commenced an investigation into the allegations in 2018, proving Ganduje’s guilt or innocence had been impossible because the former governor had immunity. PUNCH
3. Former Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission,NUC, Emeritus Prof. Peter Okebukola, said the case of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma should be a warning to potential Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME cheats. According to him,the Mmesoma’s episode has shown that JAMB had moved several steps ahead of them. Describing the incident as unfortunate, he said many people were unaware of the thoroughness of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede in promoting the integrity of JAMB-conducted examinations. VANGUARD
4. The National Examinations Council (NECO) has unveiled an e-platform for verification and confirmation of results of examinations, called NECO e-verify. The Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, at the unveiling of the platform in Abuja on Thursday, said the process will help to ensure accuracy of academic credentials. The platform is designed to perform dual result verification purposes like the instant result verification and institutional bulk verification. The main goal is to prevent educational institutions, employers, and other agencies from granting admission or hiring unqualified persons that may hinder the ease of achieving set goals, helping organisations to seamlessly verify the authenticity of NECO results presented to them for admission or recruitment anywhere around the globe. LEADERSHIP
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7. The jailed Nicaraguan Catholic bishop Rolando Alvarez was released but then re-arrested after refusing to leave the country, a diplomatic source in Managua told AFP on Wednesday. Alvarez was sentenced to 26 years in prison in February after refusing to board a US-bound plane carrying 222 political prisoners into exile. The diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Alvarez was released Monday but was later returned to the prison where he had been confined for the past five months for “undermining national integrity.” The Archbishop of Managua, Leopoldo Brenes, denied that version of events, calling it “speculation.” CHANNELS
8. Hollywood actress Keke Palmer has been slammed by her boyfriend, Darius Jackson over her choice of outfit to Usher Raymond’s show in Las Vegas. Jackson sparked up controversy online following his comments on the star’s choice of outfit to the show on Wednesday. Palmer, 29, who welcomed a son, Leodis Andrellton Jackson, with Jackson in February, donned a fitted, black bodysuit under a sheer dress to watch Usher perform. Unhappy with her outfit choice, Jackson took to Twitter to slam his baby’s mother writing; “It’s the outfit tho. you a mom.” VANGUARD
9. At least 17 people, including three children, have died after a gas leak at a South African slum near Johannesburg, possibly linked to illegal mining operations, emergency services said on Thursday. Initially, authorities had given a toll of around two dozen deaths from the leak on Wednesday night, although it had later been revised down to 16. Panyaza Lesufi, premier of Gauteng province that encompasses South Africa’s biggest city, said at the site of the disaster that one more person had died after being taken to hospital. CHANNELS
10. Napoli will kick off their Serie A title defence at promoted Frosinone after next season’s fixture list was revealed on Wednesday. Now led by Rudi Garcia, Napoli won their first Scudetto in over three decades last term and will be the team to watch when the season gets underway on the weekend of August 19-20. Previous coach Luciano Spalletti ended Napoli’s 33-year title drought last month but left shortly afterwards, and fans are hoping that Garcia won’t have stars Victor Osimhen sold out from under him this summer. VANGUARD
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