JOS : Tailor Sentenced To prison For Stealing Body Lotion

A Jos Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 19-year-old tailor, Zakari Saleh, to three months imprisonment, on Friday, July 7, over the theft of two tubes of body lotion from a shop.

Saleh was arrested after the case was reported on June 6, at the Laranto Police Station in Jos by one Aminu Wakili, the complainant.

He reportedly entered into the complainant’s shop, pretended to be buying something, and then stole two body creams valued at N43,000.

During a search that ensued, two tubes of lotion were found on him, an act which is punishable under the Plateau state Penal Code Law.

Magistrate Shawomi Bokkos, summarily sentenced Saleh after he pleaded guilty.

He however, gave the convict an option to pay N20, 000 fine. Bokkos noted that the punishment would serve as a deterrent to other would-be offenders

Tinubu Meets Bill Gates, Dangote Behind Closed-Doors In Aso Rock

President Bola Tinubu has received in audience, business tycoon Aliko Dangote and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, at the State House in Abuja. 

The visit is part of the Gates Foundation’s commitment to working closely with communities and leaders to support innovation.

Expected also to be discussed at the meeting which is holding behind closed-doors are issues of global health and development even as they concern Nigeria within the community of nations.

In the weeks following his inauguration as president of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has continued to receive in audience various prominent guests in Aso Rock.

Earlier today, he met with Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bhanti Artel Worldwide who came in company of Dr. Segun Ogunsanya, Chief Executive Officer Airtel Nigeria and other members of the company’s board.

The president also held a meeting with the United States Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Energy Resources, Ambassador Geoffrey Praytt, as well as the GCEO-NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari.

Breaking News! President Tinubu Sacks All Service Chiefs, Appoints New Ones

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the immediate retirement of all Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Advisers, Comptroller-General of Customs from Service as well as their replacements with immediate effect.

Here is the full list below

The newly appointed Officers are: 

S/N NAME APPOINTMENTS

1 Mallam Nuhu Ribadu National Security Adviser 

2 Maj. Gen. C.G Musa Chief of Defence Staff

3 Maj. T. A Lagbaja Chief of Army Staff

4 Rear Admirral E. A Ogalla Chief of Naval Staff

5 AVM H.B Abubakar Chief of Air Staff

6 DIG Kayode Egbetokun Acting Inspector-General of Police

7 Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye Chief of Defense Intelligence

Mr President has also approved the following appointments:

S/N NAME APPOINTMENTS

1 Col. Adebisi Onasanya Brigade of Guards Commander

2 Lt. Col. Moshood Abiodun Yusuf 7 Guards Battalion, Asokoro, Abuja

3 Lt. Col. Auwalu Baba Inuwa 1 77, Guards Battalion, Keffi, Nasarawa State

4 Lt. Col. Mohammed J. Abdulkarim 102 Guards Battalion, Suleja, Niger

5 Lt. Col. Olumide A. Akingbesote 176 Guards Battalion, Gwagwalada, Abuja

Similarly, the President has approved the appointments of other Military Officers in the Presidential Villa as follows:

S/N NAME APPOINTMENTS

1 Maj. Isa Farouk Audu (N/14695) Commanding Officer State House Artillery 

2 Capt. Kazeem Olalekan Sunmonu (N/16183) Second-in-Command, State House Artillery

3 Maj. Kamaru Koyejo Hamzat (N/14656) Commanding Officer, State House Military Intelligence 

4 Maj. TS Adeola (N/12860) Commanding Officer, State House Armament

5 Lt. A. Aminu (N/18578) Second-in- Command, State House Armament

Mr. President has also approved the appointments of two (2) additional Special Advisers, and two (2) Senior Assistants, namely:

S/N NAME APPOINTMENTS

1 Hadiza Bala Usman Special Adviser, Policy Coordination

2 Hannatu Musa Musawa Special Adviser, Culture and Entertainment Economy

3 Sen. Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel Senior Special Assistant , National Assembly Matters (Senate)

4 Hon. (Barr) Olarewaju Kunle Ibrahim Senior Special Assistant, National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives)

Finally, the President has approved the appointment of Adeniyi Bashir Adewale as the Ag. Comptroller General of Customs.

It is to be noted that the appointed Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller General of Customs are to act in their positions, pending their confirmation in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Willie Bassey

Director, Information

For: Secretary to the Government of the Federation

FG APPROVS 173 LOAN APPS, BARS ILLEGAL ONLINE BANKS

• Tue. Apr 4th, 2023 

FG approves 173 loan apps, bars illegal online banks

 APR 4, 2023

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has approved 173 digital lending applications to operate in the country.

Of the 173, 119 have full approvals and 54 have conditional approvals. After loan apps started harassing Nigerians, the FCCPC began a registration drive to protect citizens from the atrocities of these apps.

It released a ‘Limited Interim Regulatory/ Registration Framework and Guidelines for Digital Lending 2022’ to regulate the digital lending space and make registration and approval a prerequisite for companies seeking to operate in the space.

After shifting its deadline multiple times, it finally adopted March 27, 2023, as the close of registration. The commission has now released a list of approved apps that can operate in the country. Companies without approvals will not be able to operate in the space.

Commenting on its effort against digital lending apps in August 2022, the FCCPC said, “In addition to the enforcement action(s) and in furtherance of the desire to promote fair, transparent and mutually beneficial alternative lending opportunities apart from traditional lending to consumers, the inter-agency Joint Regulatory and Enforcement Task Force has developed and mutually adopted a Limited Interim Regulatory/ Registration Framework and Guidelines for Digital Lending, 2022 as the first and interim step to establishing a clear regulatory framework.

“This becomes enforceable immediately. It requires permission to proceed in digital lending; it provides a limited moratorium period for existing businesses to comply in order to continue in digital lending.

“The guidelines also mandate different service providers in the relevant ecosystem (such as banks, access/download platforms or stores, technology providers and payment systems) to require regulatory approval before providing services.”

Some of the approved loan apps listed by the commission include Branch International Financial Services Limited, Fairmoney Micro Finance Bank, Pivo Technology Limited, Renmoney Microfinance Bank Limited, Carbon Microfinance Bank Limited, Creditwave Finance Limited amongst others.

Loans without the FCCPC’s approval will be removed from Play Store by Google and unavailable for download.

In November, Google Play announced updates to its Developer Program Policy, which mandated that digital money lenders in Nigeria, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya must conform to regulatory rules.

This was expected to come into force from January 31, 2023. In March, Google took down hundreds of unapproved loan apps from the Play Store in Kenya according to a report on TechCrunch.

In February 2023, the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau revealed that a national committee, made up of federal agencies, was working in tandem to clip the activities of illegal loan apps in the country.