TRAGEDY was averted recently as 94 passengers and six crew members of a plane operated by Air Peace narrowly escaped death after the aircraft almost crashed in Port Harcourt. The aircraft on flight from Abuja to Port Harcourt reportedly skidded off the runway at Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, Rivers State, on Saturday June 22, 2019.

THE overall best candidate in the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination, UTME, Ekene Franklin has added another boost to his outstand performance feather to his cap by winning the 2019  outstanding gifted child in American Mathematics Competitions, AMC.

Owerri—armed herdsmen in Obokofia, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, yesterday, caused pandemonium when they invaded the community, shooting sporadically.

The entry into force of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, Agreement on the May 30, 2019, is indeed a historic event in the long march for economic integration in Africa. The AfCFTA seeks to create a single unified market, thereby boosting Intra-African trade from 17% to 52% by 2022, and increasing the Gross Domestic Product of the African continent from USD2.5trillion to USD25trillion by 2050.

IN its desire to teach pupils to read correctly and improve their literacy, GE Nigeria is collaborating with a non-profit organization – United for Kids Foundation (UKF)    to set up a Mobile Library for    literacy development programme called ‘Read To Me’.   The Read-To-Me mobile library programme which kicked off    in four primary schools in the Akowonjo area of Alimosho Local Government, would cover the entire Lagos State.   About 350 children are currently enrolled in  this initial launch of the Mobile Library in four schools, planning to reach  1,800 children per annum.The Mobile Library, according to GE, is the first of many to come, adding that it would teach pupils to read  and improve their literacy.

President Muhammadu Buhari suspended the controversial “Ruga” programme in anger, saying that its   implementation is at variance with the National Livestock Transformation Plan, NLTP, developed by the National Economic Council and approved by the Federal Government.

Abia State House of Assembly has resolved to investigate the reasons behind the plethora of incomplete and abandoned estates that dot the State with a view to sanctioning erring developers who prey on the government’s desire to provide housing for its citizens, and get government to give them large expanse of land for little or no fee among such other incentives under the PPP system only for them to abandon the project just shortly after taking off.

UYO –A staff of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Amba Anso, has testified against the commission at the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Uyo. Chris Ekpenyong of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was declared winner of the Akwa Ibom North West  senatorial  district election by INEC.

Uyo—SOME residents of Akwa Ibom State have resorted to fastening fetish traditional charms called Ayei, on their property marked for demolition to prevent government officials from carrying out the exercise.

BENINCITY—THE leadership of the National Assembly,  Inspector General of Police and Director-General of Department of State Services, DSS, after examining the crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly, between Tuesday night and early hours of yesterday,  in Abuja, resolved that Governor Godwin Obaseki should issue a fresh proclamation for  inauguration of the House.

FOLLOWING strong opposition from several quarters, President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended implementation of the controversial Ruga settlements project across the country.

IN what could be described as academic excellence at its best, Albesta Academy, Eleko, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos once again proved its mettle as one of the best schools in Lagos State as it emerged the winner of the 2019 Tolaram Science Challenge for the fourth time in a row.

IT is worrisome that pupils  in nursery and primary schools can no longer  transfer  textbooks they previously use to their siblings, as such textbooks have been programmed for questions which must be answered with either a pen or pencil on the same textbooks. The cost of the nine textbooks in this category run into thousands of Naira.

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo, has said that the use of technology incubation centres by beneficiaries of the programme trained and empowered in the agricultural and allied sector will improve their expertise in various areas of specialisation.

The central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, believes smugglers are “killing” Nigeria’s economy. Speaking at a recent roundtable event in Lagos, he said: “Nigeria is very good at making brilliant economic policies, but smugglers are those sabotaging these policies”. Thus, he said, the CBN would “block the smugglers’ accounts in all Nigerian banks”. Those circumventing the government’s foreign exchange restrictions on certain importswould also be “blacklisted” and prevented from operating in the foreign exchange market and the banking industry.