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Abuja, Nov. 20, 2024 – The federal government has established a National Engineering and Innovation Fund (NEIF) to facilitate the development of engineering innovations and entrepreneurship. Bello Goronyo the Minister of State for Works, announced this during 2024 International Engineering Conference, Exhibition, and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) in Abuja. The theme of the conference was “Sustainable Engineering Solutions to Food Security and Climate Change”. The minister said the development of the fund was imperative in view of the need to leverage engineering expertise to address …

Beijing, Nov. 20, 2024 – The United States could impose nearly 40% tariffs on imports from China early next year, a Reuters poll of economists showed, potentially slicing growth in the world’s second-biggest economy by up to 1 percentage point. The poll, the first on China’s economy by Reuters since Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory on Nov. 5, also predicts that the President-elect will resist starting off with blanket 60% tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump, who is due to take office in January, pledged during campaigning to slap hefty tariffs …

Abuja, Nov. 19, 2024: Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has called on African descendants to unite for the common goal of promoting their diversity, strength and progress of the continent. The NiDCOM Chairman made the call in Abuja.during a meeting with the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Miriam Morales Palmero, Dabiri-Erewa described this decade, nicknamed “The Decade for the People of African Descent”, as an opportunity for Africans all over the world to build a stronger, united and upward continent. She said the Commission was eager to work …

Gombe, Nov. 19, 2024 – Polaris Bank concluded its nationwide financial literacy initiative with an impactful session at the MD/CEO’s designated school, Government Day Secondary School, Pantami, Gombe State. The ceremony was the culmination of the bank’s activities commemorating the World Savings Day 2024. The activities were to promote culture of saving and financial responsibility among young Nigerians. During the period, the Bank’s team reached out to schools across all the 36 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The financial literacy program focused on equipping students with …

Moscow, Nov. 19, 2024 – Ukrainian forces carried out their first strike on a border region in Russia using Western-supplied missiles as President Vladimir Putin approved an updated nuclear doctrine expanding the conditions for using atomic weapons. Ukraine deployed ATACMS missiles to strike a military facility in the western Bryansk region, Russia’s Defense Ministry said, according to the Interfax news agency. It was the first known attack following the decision by President Joe Biden’s administration to approve Kyiv’s limited use of the weapons to hit targets inside Russia, two months …

Abuja, Nov. 19, 2024 -The Federal Government plans to increase its annual housing budget to a minimum of N500 billion from 2025. Ahmed Dangiwa, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, disclosed this while featuring on the Meet the Press Forum organised by the Presidential Digital Strategy and Communications team. He said this became necessary as the current N50 billion annual budget was inadequate. Dangiwa said the federal government needed N5.5 trillion yearly to bridge the housing deficit in the country. He said the federal government had created more than …

Lagos, Nov. 17, 2024 – Nigeria and India have agrees to boost their bilateral relationship in areas of economic development, defence, healthcare and food security. The two countries also agreed to a greater collaboration in counterterrorism, maritime security, and intelligence sharing. According to Bayo Onanuga, the Presidential Spokesman, these were the major outcome of the bilateral talks between the two countries held on Sunday during the state visit of Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister. “The leaders reiterated their unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including …

Lagos, Nov. 17, 2024 – First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Holdings Plc is to change its name to First Holdco Plc. The shareholders of the bank approved the change of name at the 12th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held virtually on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. The approved changes include shifting the company’s legal name from FBN Holdings Plc to First Holdco Plc and its brand name to FirstHoldco. The shareholders also approved the proposal of the board to raise the bank’s capital by N350 billion. Adewale Arogundade, the company’s Secretary, …

Abuja, Nov. 15, 2024 – Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 33.88% in October from 32.7% in September 2024. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Friday. The report is attributed the rise to increased transportation costs and higher food prices. The food inflation rate rose by 7.64% on year-on-year basis to 39.16% in October from 31.52% in October 2023. On a month-on-month basis, the food inflation rate rose to 2.94%, a 0.30% increase from the 2.64% recorded in September …

Abuja, Nov. 14, 2024 – The Tinubu Stakeholders Forum (TSF) has urged stakeholders to engage constructively with the content of the tax reforms and embrace the useful suggestions made by President Bola Tinubu on the tax reforms bills rather than heating up the polity unnecessarily.  In a statement signed by its Chairman Ahmad Sajoh and Secretary Josiah Afolabi, TSF argued that no final decision had been made on the bills, especially the contentious one on Value Added Tax (VAT) even though they are at the National Assembly. It said: “While …