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Economy will get better, Tinubu assures Nigerians

Tinubu seeks Senate’s approval for $8.69bn, Euro100m external loan

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Labour Party Chieftain support call by TY Danjuma for communities to arm and defend themselves Danjuma Attah, Gombe A chieftain of the Labour Party and Governorship candidate in the 2024 general elections, Keftin E Amuga, has reiterated to his people in Billiri, the call by General TY Danjuma on communities to stand up and defend themselves against terrorists and land grabbers. Keftin Amuga made the call in a press statement sent to our Correspondent and gave reasons for reiterating TY Danjuma’s call to the continued attack on his people in Billiri LGA of Gombe State Amuga, also the Gombe State Chairman of the Middle Belt Forum, while condemning what he described as the barbaric, wicked and inhumane Easter Monday Suicide truck attack on the Christians faithful of Billiri, condoled families of victims of the attack. According to him, “this deliberately planned attack which left five dead and 13 injured is about the third one, two of which were deadly. Essentially the attack was born out of pure hatred and intended to maximize deadly impact on Christian faithful’s of Gombe State”, he stated. Recalling two similar attacks on Christian in the State in the past, the Easter celebrations in 2019 and the Christmas celebrations of 2024 when Christians were attacked by moving vehicles, Amuga said the recent attack during this year’s Easter celebrations indicated a pattern in the attack. He said, “the third and most current one which occurred on the 21st April, 2025 by another fanatic named Usman Muhammad aged 28, a resident of Afghanistan Quarters (a name synonymous with the hometown of the Late Taliban leader Osama Bin Laden) killed over 5 persons and injuring scores of Christian youth during the Easter Monday celebration. “Yet the Police PPRO came up with another narrative that was uncalled for after a very shallow investigation into the incident. “The question is, why this recurring decimal? Ironically while investigation was supposed to be going on, some government security outfits had already announced the conclusion of the investigation and the arrest of some Tangale youth for alleged vandalism at the scene of the suicide attack, insisting that the incidence was only a vehicular accident! This is very sad indeed”, he decried. Questioning government’s actions towards the Tangale people of the State, Amuga said, “When one recalls the unprovoked incident, with the state Government, following the aftermath of the Tangale Chieftaincy crisis in 2021, whereby the Tangale people were denied the choice of Dr. Musa Idris as the Mai (Chief) Tangle, because he is a Christian and further arrested some youth, some of whom have died in prison and others are rendered useless due various illnesses while still in prison, one begins to wonder, which of the law is in use in Gombe State, the Nigerian constitution or the Sharia Law? “Accordingly I have no option than to support and call on the ethnic nationalities, the Christians and Tangale people in particular, that in their own interest, they should comply immediately with the Clarion call made in May 2018 and repeated this April 2025 by our Elder Statesman, Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, that all indigenous ethnic nationalities of the nation should stand up to defend themselves and their God given land, otherwise very soon, there may be no land and communities to call our own”. He then called on all the elected and appointed political representatives who have benefitted in one way or the other from the support and votes of the Tangale people, the Christian population and the indigenous ethnic nationalities of Gombe State, to as a matter of duty required by the Oath of their various offices, prevail over Governor Inuwa Yahaya to put an end to the discrimination, persecution and maltreatment against the Tangale people, the Christians and the indigenous ethnic nationalities of Gombe State. He also called for the release without delay of all prisoners of conscience and politics, related to the Tangale Chieftaincy crisis and the recent Easter Monday Suicide Truck attack, recognize Dr. Musa Idris, as recommended by the Tangale Traditional Council, as the legitimate Choice for the stool of the (MAI) Chief of Tangale, thereby rendering unnecessary the present court case and Institute without delay a “Truth and Reconciliation committee” to fence-up the deeply fractured population down the line along Tribal and religious cleavages. End.

Power outage causes chaos in Spain and Portugal A massive power cut hit large parts of Spain and Portugal on Monday, causing widespread chaos and disruption. The outage left millions of people without electricity, while internet and phone networks were also down. Trains were cancelled and evacuated in some regions, and traffic lights stopped working as delays mounted at airports. With shops, homes and restaurants plunged into darkness – and some people stuck in lifts – Spain’s electricity network said by mid-afternoon that restoring power could take several hours. Spain’s political leaders said the cause of the disruption was still unknown but there was no indication of a cyber attack. When did the outage begin? The first reports of an outage began around midday (10:00 GMT) on Monday and its impact quickly escalated. As the scale of the disruption became clear, residents of Madrid were warned to stay put, keep off the roads and not to call emergency services unless “truly urgent”. A Spanish operator said power restoration would take up to 10 hours, while Portugal’s power firm REN said getting back to full power could take up to a week. Queues formed at cash machines as card payments were affected by the outage, and there were reports that some petrol stations are closed. Spanish media reported that some hospitals had implemented emergency plans, including halting routine work, news agencies reported. By early evening and after several hours of blackouts, residents in some parts of the country reported the lights are back on. Power was being restored “in several areas of the north, south and west of the [Iberian] peninsula”, the Spanish grid operator said. The authorities in Spain and Portugal are still trying to work out what caused the power cuts. “There are no indications of any cyberattack” at this point, the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said. As panic spread earlier in the day, residents of Madrid were warned to stay off the roads. In a video on social media, the mayor of the Spanish capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, told residents to “keep their movements to an absolute minimum and, if at all possible, to remain where they are. We want to keep all roads clear.” People should only call emergency services if it is “truly urgent”, he said. “If emergency calls go unanswered, go to the police and the fire stations in person, where they will try to deal with all the emergencies.” What has been the impact? The country’s nuclear power plants automatically stopped when the blackout hit, and the Spanish oil company Moeve said it halted operations at its oil refineries. Flights were also impacted, with delays and cancellations at some airports. EasyJet said it was experiencing some disruption to operations at Lisbon and Madrid. It said the situation was “fluid” and told customers to check local advice. Aviation data company Cirium said 96 flights departing from Portugal – and 45 from Spain – had been cancelled. Businesses have been severely affected. Some Ikea branches in Spain switched to backup generators and stopped customers from entering its stores. The Madrid Open Tennis organisers have decided to cancel Monday’s event. Elsewhere, Andorra and parts of France were also hit, but the Balearic and Canary Islands were not affected.

The economic situation will improve and pains will give way to prosperity, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assured Nigerians yesterday.

Urging citizens not to despair, he said things would get better.

Also, House Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas urged Nigerians to exercise patience and cooperate with the government in its bid to effectively implement the economic reforms that will soothe the pains.

President Tinubu and the Speaker spoke on the prospect of economic recovery yesterday as workers staged protests in state capitals and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over the high cost of living.

The President said: “We must assure Nigerians that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“We might be going through a difficult period now, but when you look at the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and people manning the ship of this country, including Central Bank of Nigeria (governor), they have collaborated and in the spirit of development and progress, we are glad that good effort is being made to retool, re-engineer the finances of the country and make growth our hallmark.”

The President spoke during the unveiling of the handbook on Expatriate Employment Levy (EEL).

Abbas, who spoke when he received the leadership of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) led by Comrade Muhammad Usman in his office, said: “My appeal to you as the National President of PASAN is to please, help to tell your other colleagues in the Labour leadership to give this government a little more time.

“There are so many things that are under consideration, things that the government is trying to come up with for the benefit of Nigerians.

“So, please, help us to tell them to exercise patience that something very good will come out very soon.”

He added: “I know of a lot of palliatives, reviews of salaries and welfare packages that are most likely coming on board in the near future.

“Please, communicate to them that we know their pains and their problems and we will not let them down. They should give us more time.”

The President lauded the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for the various progressive innovations he introduced, saying they have received applause at home and abroad.

President Tinubu, who described the EEL scheme as another game changer, highlighted its advantages.

These include better employment opportunities for Nigerians with foreign companies, bridging the wage gap between Nigerian employees and expatriates in foreign companies operating in Nigeria and boosting national security.

He said: “We expect revenue generation improvement, improved naturalisation and indigenisation, employment of more Nigerians by foreign companies operating in this country, balancing of employment opportunities between Nigerians and expatriates, and closing the wage gap between the expatriate and the Nigerian labour force by making it more attractive to hire Nigerians.

“I’ve been further assured that the project can plug loopholes and gaps that have bedevilled the country in dealing with security challenges, and the movement of foreigners in and out of the country.

“Interestingly, this scheme will wield the dual fold of revenue generation as well as addressing employment challenges.”

President Tinubu, however, warned operators of the scheme against turning it into another bureaucratic bottleneck, which is capable of frustrating potential investors.

He said: “I declare my support for the Expatriate Employment Levy scheme and I will continue to encourage the operators, practitioners of immigration matters and expatriate quotas.

“But don’t use it as a bottleneck, don’t use it to frustrate potential investors.

“There will be clear lines of implementation and effective acceleration of aims and objectives of this programme.

“Immigration matters and expatriate quotas, and relevant stakeholders, have to be effectively guided to make Nigeria the focus of the objective of this EEL.”

The Minister of Interior highlighted some of the features of the EEL scheme, saying that it would create employment opportunities and competitive advantages for Nigerians working in foreign companies in the country.

He said the project was in tandem with the President’s eight-point agenda, especially on security and economic growth.

Tunji-Ojo said: “The main essence is to be sure that if you are bringing an expatriate to work in Nigeria, it should be a job that no Nigeria has the skill to do.

“That’s the major objective of this particular initiative; balancing employment opportunities between Nigerians and expatriates and, of course, closing wage gaps between expatriates and the Nigerian labor force by making it more attractive to hire Nigerians

“Part of the motivation is to reduce the dependence of companies on foreign personnel and to also reduce the rate at which renewal of expatriate quotas has been sought after by companies.

“We want to see a scenario whereby once an expatriate comes, there will be a knowledge transition period of which Nigeria should be able to be trained to take over this responsibility and create opportunities for our teeming youths.”

Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior,  Adams Oshiomhole, said the initiative would strengthen the position of Nigerians when it comes to competitive employment

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Labour Party Chieftain support call by TY Danjuma for communities to arm and defend themselves Danjuma Attah, Gombe A chieftain of the Labour Party and Governorship candidate in the 2024 general elections, Keftin E Amuga, has reiterated to his people in Billiri, the call by General TY Danjuma on communities to stand up and defend themselves against terrorists and land grabbers. Keftin Amuga made the call in a press statement sent to our Correspondent and gave reasons for reiterating TY Danjuma’s call to the continued attack on his people in Billiri LGA of Gombe State Amuga, also the Gombe State Chairman of the Middle Belt Forum, while condemning what he described as the barbaric, wicked and inhumane Easter Monday Suicide truck attack on the Christians faithful of Billiri, condoled families of victims of the attack. According to him, “this deliberately planned attack which left five dead and 13 injured is about the third one, two of which were deadly. Essentially the attack was born out of pure hatred and intended to maximize deadly impact on Christian faithful’s of Gombe State”, he stated. Recalling two similar attacks on Christian in the State in the past, the Easter celebrations in 2019 and the Christmas celebrations of 2024 when Christians were attacked by moving vehicles, Amuga said the recent attack during this year’s Easter celebrations indicated a pattern in the attack. He said, “the third and most current one which occurred on the 21st April, 2025 by another fanatic named Usman Muhammad aged 28, a resident of Afghanistan Quarters (a name synonymous with the hometown of the Late Taliban leader Osama Bin Laden) killed over 5 persons and injuring scores of Christian youth during the Easter Monday celebration. “Yet the Police PPRO came up with another narrative that was uncalled for after a very shallow investigation into the incident. “The question is, why this recurring decimal? Ironically while investigation was supposed to be going on, some government security outfits had already announced the conclusion of the investigation and the arrest of some Tangale youth for alleged vandalism at the scene of the suicide attack, insisting that the incidence was only a vehicular accident! This is very sad indeed”, he decried. Questioning government’s actions towards the Tangale people of the State, Amuga said, “When one recalls the unprovoked incident, with the state Government, following the aftermath of the Tangale Chieftaincy crisis in 2021, whereby the Tangale people were denied the choice of Dr. Musa Idris as the Mai (Chief) Tangle, because he is a Christian and further arrested some youth, some of whom have died in prison and others are rendered useless due various illnesses while still in prison, one begins to wonder, which of the law is in use in Gombe State, the Nigerian constitution or the Sharia Law? “Accordingly I have no option than to support and call on the ethnic nationalities, the Christians and Tangale people in particular, that in their own interest, they should comply immediately with the Clarion call made in May 2018 and repeated this April 2025 by our Elder Statesman, Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, that all indigenous ethnic nationalities of the nation should stand up to defend themselves and their God given land, otherwise very soon, there may be no land and communities to call our own”. He then called on all the elected and appointed political representatives who have benefitted in one way or the other from the support and votes of the Tangale people, the Christian population and the indigenous ethnic nationalities of Gombe State, to as a matter of duty required by the Oath of their various offices, prevail over Governor Inuwa Yahaya to put an end to the discrimination, persecution and maltreatment against the Tangale people, the Christians and the indigenous ethnic nationalities of Gombe State. He also called for the release without delay of all prisoners of conscience and politics, related to the Tangale Chieftaincy crisis and the recent Easter Monday Suicide Truck attack, recognize Dr. Musa Idris, as recommended by the Tangale Traditional Council, as the legitimate Choice for the stool of the (MAI) Chief of Tangale, thereby rendering unnecessary the present court case and Institute without delay a “Truth and Reconciliation committee” to fence-up the deeply fractured population down the line along Tribal and religious cleavages. End.

22 hours ago
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Power outage causes chaos in Spain and Portugal A massive power cut hit large parts of Spain and Portugal on Monday, causing widespread chaos and disruption. The outage left millions of people without electricity, while internet and phone networks were also down. Trains were cancelled and evacuated in some regions, and traffic lights stopped working as delays mounted at airports. With shops, homes and restaurants plunged into darkness – and some people stuck in lifts – Spain’s electricity network said by mid-afternoon that restoring power could take several hours. Spain’s political leaders said the cause of the disruption was still unknown but there was no indication of a cyber attack. When did the outage begin? The first reports of an outage began around midday (10:00 GMT) on Monday and its impact quickly escalated. As the scale of the disruption became clear, residents of Madrid were warned to stay put, keep off the roads and not to call emergency services unless “truly urgent”. A Spanish operator said power restoration would take up to 10 hours, while Portugal’s power firm REN said getting back to full power could take up to a week. Queues formed at cash machines as card payments were affected by the outage, and there were reports that some petrol stations are closed. Spanish media reported that some hospitals had implemented emergency plans, including halting routine work, news agencies reported. By early evening and after several hours of blackouts, residents in some parts of the country reported the lights are back on. Power was being restored “in several areas of the north, south and west of the [Iberian] peninsula”, the Spanish grid operator said. The authorities in Spain and Portugal are still trying to work out what caused the power cuts. “There are no indications of any cyberattack” at this point, the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said. As panic spread earlier in the day, residents of Madrid were warned to stay off the roads. In a video on social media, the mayor of the Spanish capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, told residents to “keep their movements to an absolute minimum and, if at all possible, to remain where they are. We want to keep all roads clear.” People should only call emergency services if it is “truly urgent”, he said. “If emergency calls go unanswered, go to the police and the fire stations in person, where they will try to deal with all the emergencies.” What has been the impact? The country’s nuclear power plants automatically stopped when the blackout hit, and the Spanish oil company Moeve said it halted operations at its oil refineries. Flights were also impacted, with delays and cancellations at some airports. EasyJet said it was experiencing some disruption to operations at Lisbon and Madrid. It said the situation was “fluid” and told customers to check local advice. Aviation data company Cirium said 96 flights departing from Portugal – and 45 from Spain – had been cancelled. Businesses have been severely affected. Some Ikea branches in Spain switched to backup generators and stopped customers from entering its stores. The Madrid Open Tennis organisers have decided to cancel Monday’s event. Elsewhere, Andorra and parts of France were also hit, but the Balearic and Canary Islands were not affected.

22 hours ago
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