A United States Federal Court has suspended President Donald Trump’s policy that affects poor immigrants in America. Immigrants cannot get green cards or visas if immigration officials establish they would depend on public benefits like food stamps. The permanent residency aspect is being implemented by Department of Homeland Security, while the Department of State handles visa application. On Thursday, Justice George Daniels of the District Court in New York, ordered authorities to stop the implementation. Daniels ordered the rule be put on hold for immigrants residing legally in America until the COVID-19 crisis is over. The US Citizenship and Immigration…
Author: ACNN TV
The Kaduna-Abuja train service has resumed passenger operations, nearly four months after services were stopped due to the nationwide lockdown imposed as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. The railway opened bookings for passenger services on Wednesday morning with four trains a day connecting Kaduna to Abuja. Railway health officials at the Rigasa Train station told Channels Television that coaches and the premises have been decontaminated before the resumption of passenger service. Passengers were also mandated to wash their hands with soap at the entry point, their luggage were decontaminated, while their body temperatures were screened before…
Apart from going to church every Sunday and surrendering to the Catholic church’s century-old worship rituals observed in Latin, my dad was hardly an overly religious man. I remember being in this one prayer session where everyone spoke in tongues except him. It couldn’t have been that bad if cynicism was not written all over his face. His eyes darted back and forth in disbelief as if he was querying the celestial power of the anointing. That day, I felt like the holy spirit perceived that he wasn’t there yet and decided it was best to let him alone. I…
A former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team [PRTT] Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, has been released from the Kuje Correctional Centre after nine months in detention. Mr Maina, who was arraigned before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on October 25, 2019, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his son, Faisal, and firm, Common Inputs Property and Investment LTD, had been in detention since then despite being granted bail by the court. Lawyer to the former pension chairman, Mr Ahmed Raji who confirmed the release of his client in a telephone interview says the…
Pharma giants Sanofi and GSK said Wednesday they have agreed to supply Britain with up to 60 million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The agreement covers a vaccine candidate developed by France’s Sanofi in partnership with the UK’s GSK and is subject to a “final contract”. Amid a global race to find a vaccine to halt the pandemic, Sanofi announced “ongoing discussions with the European Commission, with France and Italy on the negotiation team, and other governments to ensure global access to a novel coronavirus vaccine.” Both companies voiced in a statement their commitment “to making their COVID-19 vaccine…
Senator Matthew Urhoghide has denied claims he was awarded contracts by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Senator Urhoghide represents Edo South in the upper lawmaking body of the country and was named by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, as one of the lawmakers who benefited from contract racketeering in reports making the rounds. According to Akpabio, a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Urhoghide was allegedly awarded six contracts by the NDDC, a claim the lawmaker has denied. The Senator on Wednesday said the claim by the Minister is unfortunate, describing it as untrue and…
The Federal Government has extended the phase two of the ease of lockdown in the country by another one week. Mr Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, announced this on Monday. He made the announcement at the briefing of the PTF which held in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). “We informed you two weeks ago that the process of submitting the 6th Interim Report and recommendations for next steps had commenced,” said Mustapha who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). He added, “The PTF has reached advanced stages…
The Federal Government has declared Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31 as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el-Kabir Celebration. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Georgina Ehuriah. According to the statement, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, congratulated Muslim faithful and all Nigerians both at home and abroad on the occasion. “He called on the Muslims to continue to imbibe the spirit of love, peace, kindness and sacrifice, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) and to also use the period to pray for…
An independent panel of experts, headed by former Irish president Mary Robinson, has cleared the beleaguered leader of the African Bank of Development (AfDB) of corruption, according to a report obtained by AFP. Akinwumi Adesina, 60, a charismatic speaker known for his elegant suits and bow ties, became the first Nigerian to helm the AfDB in 2015 — but a 15-page report earlier this year claimed that under his watch the bank had been tarred by poor governance, impunity, personal enrichment and favouritism. The panel of three experts, led by Robinson alongside Gambia’s Chief Justice Hassan Jallow and the World…
Two members of the Senate have denied the allegations of benefitting from contracts of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The Senate Committee Chairman on Niger Delta, Peter Nwaoboshi, and his colleague from Delta South district, Senator James Manager, denied the accusations on Monday in separate statements. This followed claims by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, that 60 per cent of NNDC contracts were awarded to members of the National Assembly. In his reaction, Nwaoboshi who was allegedly named in the said publication of being awarded 53 NDDC projects, challenged Akpabio to send the list to the…