PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), finally moved into the Aso Villa this week, signaling the real commencement of work, as leader for the change that Nigerians voted for last March. But the portents are frightening; as if we don’t already have a foggy idea of the seriousness of the situation! Buhari made it clear during his maiden meeting with the State House media corps, that he inherited from former President Goodluck Jonathan, a country with virtually empty treasury, running into millions of dollars; and indicative of the sorry pass, even the Federal Government cannot pay salaries of its workers.

Two men were, yesterday, arraigned before Apapa Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, for alleged theft of N212,500.

The Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Olufunlayo Atilade is seeking the backing of the executive and legislative arm of government in the state with the view to ensuring financial autonomy for the judiciary.

PERTURBED by the non inclusion of private universities in accessing the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the Vice Chancellor, Adeleke University (AU), Ede, Osun State, Professor Oluwole Amusan, has said that private universities cheated. Recall that in 2011, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan introduced TETFUND as an intervention agency for managing, disbursing and monitoring the education tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria to improve their standards.

“Most companies and NGOs try to encourage students to achieve high scholarship education. With this, some of the indigene students and those working hard on campus are being assisted and it also creates competition in the University for Academic Excellence.” Adding, “Some students are intelligent but they don’t have finance to maintain it, but the scholarship helps them a lot.”

Nigeria has taken a major step towards concluding the process of domesticating five International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulatory instruments with the submission of the instruments of assent to five protocols of the IMO in London. This feat was achieved through the collaboration of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) being the focal point of all IMO conventions in Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Transport(FMOT) in a bid to ensure that Nigeria continues to implement the various safety measures and practices as endorsed by the IMO.

Dare-devil armed robbers, in commando-style, yesterday, held residents of Ipakodo area of Ikorodu in Lagos hostage for about two hours as they robbed two major banks in the area. The scene of the robbery operation was just a stone’s throw to Ipakodo Divisional Police station. The policemen, who engaged the armed robbers, were, however, overwhelmed.

ENUGU — People of the South-East geopolitical zone have tasked the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on the implementation of Enugu Free Trade Zone, FTZ, which was approved last May, by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

THE Delta State House of Assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Asaba, yesterday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to allow the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, candidate for the Oshimili North Constituency in the last House of Assembly polls, Chief Tony Azuya to inspect all the materials used.

In its determined effort to provide a platform to put an end to child marriage and ensure that all stakeholders work relentlessly to make sure that negative social practices imposed by culture on children are eliminated, Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund, formerly United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has hosted school students in Lagos State at the Women Development Centre, Agege, Lagos to celebrate the Day of the African Child.