Minister of Communications, Isa Pantami, calls out NIPOST on twitter for increasing its licensing fees without his approval

Nigeria's Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has called out the leadership of the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, for increasing its fees without his approval.



Nigerians took to Twitter to complain about the recent increase in the licensing fees for courier companies. According to the new regulation, international courier services like DHL, UPS and FEDEX, are expected to pay N20m for a new licence and N8m annually, and those offering local services are expected to pay N10m for licence and N4m yearly for renewal.



In addition, logistics companies operating within regions are expected to pay N5m for licence and N2m annually, and firms operating within states would get a licence for N2m while renewal costs N800,000. Courier firms running within cities are to pay N1m for licence and N400,000 annually. Small and Medium Enterprises would be receiving a licence for N250,000 while the annual renewal of the licence is N100,000.



The new charges introduced by NIPOST are expected to cause an increase in the cost of courier services and delivery of goods.



Responding to the outcry on Twitter this morning July 25, Pantami who supervises activities of the postal service, said he wasn't aware of the increase and has directed the immediate suspension of the increase in fees.


Pls @NipostNgn, our attention has been drawn to an increase of licence fee, which was not part of the regulation I earlier APPROVED for you. Your Chair and PMG were YESTERDAY contacted to put the implementation on hold and send a report to our ministry by Monday. Best wishes!

@NipostNgn, d power of regulation of NIPOST lies with the Minister. Any change of fee must be specific & be approved by him before implementation. I know the economic challenges of NIPOST. However, looking at the economic hardship of our citizens, we need to suspend any move

The increase, is under investigation by my office, since yesterday. The Ministry and the Minister were not involved. Many thanks and best wishes! '' he tweeted

King power about to make Nigerians smile this season...

King power who is fondly addressed by his fans, has taken to his Instagram page to reveal how he plans to give to Nigerians for 31days ,a program he tagged"Feast with king power"

Note that his appearance last year was to sign Nigeria singer Davido with 100m dollars and now back to blessing Nigerians for 31 days,as 20 fans will be picked everyday for a cash prize ...quickly go to his page now to be part of this feast and follow all instructions.

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This pandemic season has been a moment of trial for all ,a time when most people have lost their jobs ,loved ones and property...I have decided to do my token to support few ones out there who truly need a helping hand... I king power present to you "THE FEAST with KINGPOWER" a 31 day feast with me...as 20 people everyday ,will be given funds for 31 days....running from August 1st -31st Kindly follow the handle @kingpowerkqpp and subscribe to the youtube page on my bio (http://bit.ly/kingpowerkqpp) Note: This period is for all as there won't be discrimination or favoritism once u can follow the instructions then you are qualified to dine with me for 31 days Come and let's feast with LOVE!!!!!! #ThemWithUsAreGREATERthanThemAgainstUs #GOD #GODSPOWER #KingPower #KingQueenPrincePrincess #KQPP #ThankGODweMadeIt #Blessed #Nigeria #Naija #UK #USA #Europe #Africa #Japan #Money #Cash #Dollars #Real #life #Hollywood #Fashion #Jewerly #Music #LoveYourself #thankyou #神様のちから #ありがとう

Un post condiviso da King Power (@kingpowerkqpp) in data: 24 Lug 2020 alle ore 3:58 PDT

Photos from the graduation ceremony of 601 deradicalised Boko Haram combatants

The graduation ceremony for Batch 4/2019 deradicalized former Boko Haram combatants took place at the Operation Safe Corridor Mallam Sidi in Gombe state today Saturday, July 25.



The former insurgents, all 601 in number, completed a de-radicalization, rehabilitation, and reintegration program organized by Operation Safe Corridor and denounced their membership of the insurgent group at the Malam Sidi Camp in Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State on Monday, July 13.



The Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Major General Bamidele Shafa said that out of the 601 graduands that arrived at the camp on 27 November and 14 December 2019, 592 are Nigerians from 10 states of the federation while 14 are foreign Nationals from Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. Shafa added that out of this number, three died of health complications while one was referred for further medical treatment at the Neuro-psychiatric Hospital in Maiduguri.




“On arrival at the camp, the clients went through documentation processes to obtain vital background information after which they were subjected to comprehensive medical screening to determine their health status

Their DNA samples were also collected while their biometrics were captured on National Data using the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC) facilities for future references. The background information serves as guide for the experts; Local Treatment Team (LTT) to properly place the clients for treatment therapies and vocational training. The LTT are specialised experts in various fields of deradicalisation and rehabilitation therapies drawn from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS),” he said



See more photos from the graduation ceremony below.

PDP leaders provided the materials we used to disqualify Obaseki - Oshiomhole

Adams Oshiomhole, the suspended national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has disclosed that Governor Godwin Obaseki was disqualified with materials provided by the People's Democratic Party (PDP).



The APC Chieftain who spoke at his residence in Benin on Thursday July 23, insisted that they don't want to repeat same mistake they made in Bayelsa state in 2019.



Oshiomhole said;




“In 2016, PDP took Obaseki to court that he forged certificates. Now, you remember one governor that said there are tax collectors, when something moved, they collected the taxes and the certificates became okay.

“But let me tell you, members of APC’s screening committee knew that the man who forged documents, even if you vote for him, you know what happened to us in Bayelsa state.

“So, I need to assure you that the decision of the screening committee members to disqualify the sitting governor was based on the evidence provided by PDP leaders in 2016, which they found to be correct and you do not repeat the same mistake twice.

“The only task we have is to go to every unit, every community, every ward, every local government area and remind them of where we stopped and ask them since we left, what new thing has been brought?

“If I failed Godwin Obaseki’s examination, by the grace of God on Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, I will score A1.”

'We deserved it' - Nigeria's Troost-Ekong ecstatic after helping Udinese defeat Juventus and avoid relegation

Super Eagles defender, William Troost-Ekong has expressed his joy after Udinese beat Juventus in Thursday night's Serie A clash.



After Matthijs de Ligt’s 42nd minute goal, Luca Gotti’s men won the match 2-1 thanks to goals from Ilija Nestorovski and Cote d’Ivoire international Seko Fofana.



Ekong, who played in midfield against Juventus says Juventus' desire to win the title made his club decide to frustrate them.

"I am very happy because of these three heavy points and also because before the game, no one would have bet on us,” Troost-Ekong told Udinese TV on Thursday night.

“They came here to celebrate and that charged us before the game. Today [on Thursday] we played with personality and we deserved to win.”







The 26 year old says he doesn't mind wherever he plays in the team.

“Well, I played in the middle for two years but after the lockdown, the manager wanted me to move to the right,” he continued.

“Obviously, he decides how we get on the field but I think as a defensive midfielder I can be more useful to the team.”

US court reveals why Hushpuppi was denied bail

A United States Court sitting in Illinois, Chicago has shared its reason for denying Ramon Abbas a.k.a Hushpuppi bail.



Recall that the Instagram celebrity who was arrested last month in Dubai for alleged wire fraud and extradited to the U.S on July 3, was accused of being part of a network that made “hundreds of millions of dollars” from business email compromise frauds and other scams.



The US court has now revealed it denied Hushpuppi bail and the opportunity to stay with his girlfriend's Uncle pending the conclusion of his trial.



Based on the recommendations of the Pretrial services which provides the court quality information about defendants, it was stated that Hushpuppi presents a risk of non appearance and should be removed to the charging district in California in custody.



Premium Times reported that other factors include the fact that Mr Abbas is subject to lengthy period of incarceration if convicted, lacks significant community or family ties to the district, lacks significant family or other ties outside the United States, lacks legal status in the country and will be subjected to removal or deportation for serving any period of incarceration.



If the allegations turns out true, it was further stated that Huspuppi who has ties with many foreign countries has sufficient assets to fund flight to anywhere in the world.



The statement partly read;




“Abbas reportedly rents an apartment in Dubai for $10.000 a month and drives a Bentley. He is alleged to have committed financial crimes that netted tens of millions of dollars or more.

"For these reasons and those stated on the record, Mr Abbas shall be removed to the charging district in the custody of the US Marshal."



Hushpuppi risks spending 20 years in prison if convicted.

China orders US consulate in Chengdu to cease operations in retaliation for Houston closure

China has ordered the closure of the United States consulate in Chengdu, China, days after the US announced the forced closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas.



Relations between the US and China is at an all time low as both nations squabble over the Covid-19 pandemic, trade, treatment of muslims and racial minorities in Xianjing, security law in Hong Kong and US ties with Taiwan.



A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday July 24, said US diplomats in China had been notified Friday morning that Beijing was revoking the license for the Chengdu consulate in China's southwest, which has been ordered to "stop all business and activities."



The statement adds that the US had "unilaterally provoked the incident" by ordering the closure of the Houston office, an action Beijing said "seriously violated international law and the basic norms of international relations."


"The current situation between China and the United States is something China does not want to see, and the responsibility rests entirely with the United States," the foreign ministry said.

"We once again urge the US to immediately revoke the erroneous decision to create necessary conditions for the return of bilateral relations to normal."



On Twitter, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, said the order was "a legitimate and necessary response to the unilateral provocative move by the US to demand the closure of China's Consulate General in Houston."



Chengdu, the capital of China's southwest Sichuan province, is an important diplomatic outpost for the US, as it covers a large portion of China.