News
INEC Denies Receiving Cash Support from Development Partners
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday has denied receiving cash support from international development partners to conduct the 2023 general election.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, revealed this at a meeting with Civil Society Organisations on the review of the 2023 general election.
Yakubu gave the clarification to address impressions that the commission received huge sums of money from development partners for the election.
Yakubu explained that the commission only received cash support from the federal government.
The chairman said, “However, it is necessary to seize this opportunity to correct the impression in some sections of the public that the Commission received huge sums of money from development partners for the election.
“On the contrary, and for the avoidance of doubt, the Commission did not receive any direct funding or cash support from international development partners.
“Indeed, it has been a longstanding policy of the present Commission not to receive direct funding and cash transfers from sources other than the federal government of Nigeria.”
He explained that the support came in the form of technical advice, civic and voter education, organisation of meetings and capacity-building workshops, as well as the publication of documents.
“On this note, it is appropriate for the Commission to express its appreciation to civil society organisations and development partners for their enormous support to the Commission during the 2023 General Election.
“This came in the form of technical advice, civic and voter education, organisation of meetings and capacity-building workshops, as well as the publication of documents.”
News
HAPPENING NOW: Blackout hits Abuja, Embassies affected
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has announced power outage in various parts of Abuja including hotels and diplomatic buildings.
The AEDC made the announcement in its verified X handle today.
It said the blackout also affected Bolingo Hotel, Wada Maida Building, which houses the headquarters of Sudan, Egypt embassies, Envoy Hotel, the European Union embassy, among others.
The other places affected by the blackout are the National Planning Commission (NPC), the National Hospital, and the Turkish, Pakistani, and Indian embassies.
“Also, Garki Area One, Two, Three, Seven and Eight; Garki village; Garki market; Ubiaja Street; Kaltungo Street; and Lagos Street have been affected.
“Also affected are Oka Akoko Street, Treasury House, Karibu Hotel, and part of Asokoro, such as Yakubu Gowon Street.
“Similarly, Imo Government Lodges, Gado Nasko Street, Justice Sowemimo, Hassan Musa Katsina Streets, part of Jasse Martin, NIA, and TY Danjuma Street are without power supply.
“It said also affected are Lugbe, Jedo, Forte Royal, Back Of Dunamics, Customs Quarters, Aviation Village Piwoye Kapwa Ok Water, Nicomsat, Korean School and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,”.
It attributed the power outage to a technical fault.
“The technical team of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is currently working to restore the power supply.
“We regret the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding,” AEDC said.
News
Burial begins for Oyo school teacher killed by JAS terrorist group
The deceased teacher is expected to be buried at his residence in the Owolake area of Ogbomoso.
The burial arrangements for Adesiyan Adegboye, the teacher killed during last Friday’s coordinated attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, began on Friday at Ayegun Baptist Church, Ogbomoso.
Adegboye, 49, was shot dead during the invasion carried out by armed bandits at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School, Esiele.
The deceased teacher is expected to be buried at his residence in the Owolake area of Ogbomoso.
The attackers reportedly stormed the schools around 9:30am, abducting several teachers and students during the operation that threw the communities into panic.
Following the incident, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, visited the affected area on Saturday and ordered the deployment of additional detectives from the Force Headquarters in Abuja to support ongoing rescue efforts.
News
FG launches GovGuideNigeria to boost citizens governance access
GovGuideNigeria platform is accessible through WhatsApp and the web, and is available in English, Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba to ensure wider accessibility for citizens across different linguistic backgrounds.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijan, has said that Nigerians can now access the government information and services through the newly launched GovGuideNigeria.
The artificial intelligence-powered platform was launched on May 21 by the government in collaboration with Meta, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and local developer partner Publica AI.
According to the Minister, the platform is accessible through WhatsApp and the web, and is available in English, Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba to ensure wider accessibility for citizens across different linguistic backgrounds.
Tijani stated that the platform provides users with easy access to information from more than 35 federal ministries and over 60 government agencies.
He described the initiative as part of the government’s efforts to improve public service delivery through technology and digital innovation.
Sade Dada, Head of Public Policy, Meta, said during the launch “Meta’s open-source AI is critical to economic growth and productivity — and GovGuide Nigeria, is a clear example of what this looks like in practice.
Ignatius Willie, CEO, Publica AI said, “Today is not just a product launch. It is a step towards democratising how Nigerians engage with their government. With GovGuide Nigeria, we are not simply digitising access to public services; we are making them conversational, multilingual, and available on the channels Nigerians already use every day.
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