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The Super Eagles of Nigeria have qualified for next year’s AFCON in Cameroon after Lesotho and Sierra Leone played goalless draw. 

  The Nigerian government would soon start making payments to Nigerians who were employed from 774 local government areas of the country under the Special Public Works Programme (SPWP).  The minister of state for labour, Festus Keyamo disclosed in a tweet on Saturday, March 20, that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the release of the funds for the payment of stipends to the beneficiaries of the programme.   Keyamo further stated that he has asked the National Directorate Of Employment (NDE) to start crediting the accounts of those listed in the scheme.  The minister explained that the participants will be paid using their Bank Verification Number (BVN) in order to prevent fraud or double payments.   He, however, warned that candidates who registered with different names different from those used on their bank accounts should not expect payments. 

Former Kogi West senator, Dino Melaye, says he had apologised to God and Nigerians for supporting the candidacy of Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.  According to him, the agenda that brought Buhari into office was the “greatest scam that came out of Africa”, noting that he regretted supporting Buhari.  He disclosed this while speaking on Channels Television’s programme, ‘Politics Today’.  Melaye said the Buhari government had failed Nigerians in all aspects, from security to economy and infrastructure.  “ To start with, I apologise to God Almighty who is the supreme controller of the universe and to Nigerians for supporting Buhari. The Buhari agenda is the greatest scam that came out of Africa.  “Once I was blind, now I can see. How can one remain in a political party or support a president with what is happening today in Nigeria? How? So, I regret very seriously because we were scammed.” He said.

The Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has again claimed that the videos showing him stuffing bales of dollars into his pockets in 2018 were doctored. Premium Times reported that Ganduje made the claim on Friday, March 19, during an interview on the BBC Hausa service. “The video is fake and we are preparing to prove that. But I cannot preempt what we are doing with regard to that. I am assuring you this video is fake and all those that are behind it would be put to shame" He said. Governor Ganduje also said: “It was just part of a scheme to stop me from contesting election – and I contested; to stop me from winning election – and I won.''

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, said one million people would benefit in the current batch of the social investment programme. She spoke in Abuja during the inauguration of the National Social Investment Management System (NASIMS), a portal developed for ease of coordination, deployment and management of the selection process. Farouq said, “We have reached another milestone in the process of recruiting and onboarding of the Batch C N-Power beneficiaries beginning with 500,000 beneficiaries. “The N-Power Batch C as inaugurated today is structured to onboard one million new beneficiaries, beginning with an initial 500,000 beneficiaries in the first stream. “A subsequent 500,000 beneficiaries in a second stream, all aligned to the national policy drive of lifting 100 million people out of abject poverty in 10 years.” The minister said all applicants had been migrated onto the NASIMS platform and that they would u...

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), through NIRSAL Microfinance Bank, has reopened its portal for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and households affected by COVID-19 to access up to N25 million. This was disclosed by the Personal Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, via his Twitter handle on Wednesday. He tweeted,  “The CBN, through @NirsalMFB introduces a stimulus package to support households and MSMEs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. An individual can access up to N25million.” Enterprises with bankable plans to take advantage of opportunities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic are also eligible to apply. Term loans have a maximum tenor of not more than 3 years with, at least, one-year moratorium. Households can access a maximum loan of N3 million while the loan amount to SMEs shall be determined based on the cashflow and industry/segment size of beneficiary, subject to a maximum of N25 million. Interested applicants can acces...

Price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol has soared to N212.6 per litre, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) said in the month of March template. The template published Thursday night shows that the retail price of petrol for the month of March would sell between market band of N209.61 and N212.61. The PPPRA also disclosed that the ex-depot price will be N206.42, while the landing cost stands at N189.61 per litre. 

The federal government has been urged not to forget women as the distribution of COVID-19 vaccination commences. They urged the government to ensure that women are not sidelined in any way. This appeal was made in a statement to commemorate 2021 International Women’s Day on Monday, March 8, Punch reports. The governors' wives also promised to take the vaccine to show people that it is safe to get vaccinated. Those who signed the statement included Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Dr Amina Abubakar Bello and Mrs Betsy Obaseki. The statement read in part: “The vaccine should not be yet another resource that women do not have easy access to in Nigeria. We also urge all women to take the vaccine when it is available, we ourselves will be taking the vaccine to demonstrate that it is safe." Going further, they promised to support their husbands and remind them of their obligations towards the security, protection, and empowerment of citizens, especially women. 

Nigerian UFC star Israel Adesanya over the weekend suffered the first defeat of his career in the mixed martial artist when he was defeated by Polish fighter Jan Błachowicz. Jan Błachowicz was so tough for Isreal Adesanya in this battle beating the Nigerian star for the very first time in his career. But despite the defeat Israel Adesanya suffered againt his opponent, the Nigerian still earned the highest money which is an incredible one for the 31-year-old. According to the report on Punch citing UFC Salaries, Israel Adesanya got an estimated $1m for the fight and a guaranteed $40,000 fight week incentive. Breaking: Israel Adesanya suffers first loss after going the distance with Blachowicz 38-year-old Jan Błachowicz on the other hand was given the sum of $750,000 for his efforts to spoil the unbeaten record of the Nigerian fighter. Adesanya’s pay for the fight could be further increased as his contract for UFC 259 included a payout from the overall Pay Per View income. He is currentl...