The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof Tunji Olaopa, has called for the promotion of merit over federal character in public service. Olaope noted that the country’s civil service must abandon the practice of favouring federal character over merit, adding that getting the best from the civil service required a shift in this approach. He said, “We are working to reinforce the whole dynamics and to beef up the MDA’s IQ by reinventing meritocracy in the civil service. Even the British civil service now has a public service act. We feel it’s very important that there should be some career level in these ministries that only trained economists should occupy.”

Qatar has declined a request made by Nigeria to hold a business and investment forum (BIF) when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visits the Middle East country in March 2024. The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Abuja denied the request in a circular dated Thursday, February 22, 2024. It was addressed to the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria. “The Embassy has the honour to inform that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar apologizes that it will not be able to hold a Business and Investment Forum as proposed by Nigerian side,” the letter said. Qatari authorities said the request was declined because Qatar and Nigeria do not currently have any agreement on investment promotion and protection.

The Economic Community of West African States is expected to suspend all sanctions imposed on Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, who are under military rule after juntas overthrew the civilian governments of all three countries. Presidential sources told Saturday PUNCH that with the lifted sanctions, the bloc would attempt to talk the three alienated states out of their decision to withdraw. However, the military-led juntas of Burkina-Faso, Mali and Niger, in late January, announced their withdrawal over “illegal sanctions” harming their people. A presidential source who spoke to Saturday PUNCH late Friday revealed that “ECOWAS is likely to lift the sanctions against those three states. If you check what the President said in Addis Ababa, you will get where this is coming from.”

It has been two years since the full-scale illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine. The illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine creates a dangerous precedent for the rest of the world. Our countries support Ukraine with weapons because it has the right to defend itself. “The illegal invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 marked a further escalation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. “Concerning Ukraine specifically, the Russian war against Ukraine also has a direct impact on the security of Europe.

A rising actor, Chidi Dike, has said that acting as a lover boy in movies comes easily to him because he grew up as only boy, amidst four sisters. In an interview with Saturday Beats, he said, “I am comfortable acting as a lover boy, because I grew up with girls. “I adore the female gender, so acting with them is like a piece of cake, because I have been doing it for a while. He said, “Nothing has been heard about me and any woman being romantically involved since I gained prominence, because I have none. I came to Lagos to act in movies, but I ended up doing a couple of other things.

An activist claims Navalny may have been killed with a single punch to heart. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny may have been killed with a single punch to the heart - an old method used by the KGB - a human rights activist has claimed. "They trained their operatives to kill a man with one punch in the heart, in the center of the body. As per a report, the body of Vladimir Putin's most vociferous critic had "signs of bruises", an anonymours paramedic told an independent news outlet. Navalny's family and supporters have accused Putin of having him killed, an accusation that the Kremlin has angrily rejected.

A budding artiste, Hope Omumati, aka HP Zendo, has said that the country’s tough economic situation influences his music. In a statement sent to Saturday Beats, the singer said, “My music is usually inspired by the economic situation of the country. I also have lots of respect for artistes, such as Davido, Burna Boy and Olamide.”Zendo, who is set to embark on an European tour later in the year, recently released the remix of his single titled, ‘E Don Cast’, featuring CDQ. The artiste, who hails from Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, had earlier released a seven-track Extended Play album in December 2023. Artistes featured on the album include Ojo Olaborede, aka Danny S; and Isaac Sotunde, aka Base One.

There’s a lot of talk in the air about whether we’re in a recession or not, and it’s important we understand what that means for us and our families. In simple terms, a recession is when the economy of a country isn’t doing well. If these are all going down for a while, then yes, that’s what you call a recession. Now, if our country is indeed facing a recession, it can sound scary, but there are things we can do to help our households. A recession can feel like a big rock on our path, but remember, it’s not forever.

“As of June 2023, Nigeria’s total debt portfolio stood at N87.9 trillion ($ 114.3 billion) and will climb to N107.38 trillion in 2024, following recent approvals by NASS. It also said that the unsustainable level of public debt showed the need for a reassessment of government spending and revenue generation. ADVERTISEMENTIt also urged NASS to revise the legal and institutional frameworks relating to debt management, emphasising transparency and accountability. It recommended the harmonisation of tax laws and rates to reduce overlaps and inconsistencies, eliminate multiple taxation and improve tax revenue mobilisation. “NASS should establish a Tax Committee, empowered to approve Double Tax Agreements, rather than the general floor of the National Assembly.

The government also insisted that the naira is stabilising, saying the foreign exchange market is seeing a surge of inflows. He also said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Yemi Cardoso, had also highlighted that $1.8 billion flowed into the forex market last week, on the back of the new reforms. “First, he announced an immediate end to the petrol subsidy regime, because it could no longer justify its ever-increasing costs in the wake of dwindling resources. “Since the removal of the petrol subsidy, petrol importation has dropped by 50 per cent, amounting to one billion liters monthly, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. “President Tinubu’s second most far-reaching pronouncement was his promise that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would work towards a unified exchange rate.

The PUNCH had in January reported that civil society groups, under the aegis of the Civil Society Joint Action Group, said 17,469 Nigerians were abducted under the Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu administrations from 2019 to date. With the waves of insecurity and kidnapping for ransom, here are safety tips that may protect you from being a victim. Avoid standing by the roadside to board a bus to pay cheaper fare. Avoid travelling at night, particularly on bad, poorly lit roads if you can. – Respect curfews or restrictions imposed on the movement of vehicles and persons on the road or at your destination.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has released the 2023 General Elections Report. Olumekun said the election report was reviewed and approved for publication at the commission’s weekly meeting held on Thursday. “The report showcases the election’s unparalleled diversity in party representation, demonstrating significant democratic progress. “The report underscores the pivotal role of technological advancements, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), in enhancing electoral integrity and reducing fraud. “Other aspects covered in the report include logistics, security arrangements, staff recruitment and training, inclusivity measures, and the electoral framework,” he said.

Another member of the committee, Rep. Marcus Onobun, described Yiaga Africa as the face and voice of the youths. Describing the responsibility before the committee as huge, Oguche said the House committee could not do alone without partnership and support. He added that the retreat would look at the role of the legislature in youths development in terms of law-making, representation and oversights. “Participate will be exposed to legislative instruments that are valuable to youths in promoting youths development,” he stated. He said that the retreat would look at the Appropriation Act, 2024 from the perspective of youth development to help the committee in its oversight.

The Muay Thai Championship was organised by the Muay Thai Association where Humaira stole the show while emerging victorious with her exceptional performance. Humaira Shafi is presently pursuing her graduation at GDC Boys Baramulla and has carved a niche for herself in the world of Martial Arts. Humaira Shafi, a black belt in Karate, has showcased her talent on the national stage by participating in the Samdo championship. Drawing inspiration from Tajamul Islam, the young martial arts sensation from Bandipora district, Humaira started her Martial Arts training some four years ago when she was in class 11th. “I was inspired by Tajamul Islam, and that is the reason I joined Martial Arts Academy in Langate,” Humaira told Greater Kashmir.

The report partly read, “The challenge of uploading the PU presidential election results on the IReV after the presidential and NASS elections on 25th February 2023 was unique. “However, there was a problem with uploading the presidential election results to the system. “Further interrogation of the Election Result Modules indicated that the system is encountering an unexpected configuration problem in mapping the presidential election results uploaded into the system to the participating Polling Units. IReV glitch does not affect result…INEC also said the glitch did not in any way affect the outcome of the presidential election result. “However, the glitch in the upload of the presidential results sheets to iREV did not affect the credibility of the election.