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Bill On Unemployment Benefit Scales Second Reading

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The Senate on Wednesday passed for second reading, a bill seeking the establishment of a National Internship and Unemployment Benefit Scheme.

The passage of the bill followed a lead debate by the sponsor, Afolabi Salisu (APC, Ogun Central) and contributions made by other Senators.

According to Salisu, the bill aims to offer unemployed graduates in Nigeria some part-time jobs where they can gain experience and earn stipends, preparatory for big offers.

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The proposed law, he said intends to create a database of unemployed Nigerian youths, particularly graduates, with their respective disciplines and also establish a framework that will guide the provision of part-time jobs for youths while they search for full-time jobs.

READ ALSO: Court Affirms ICPC’s Power To Prosecute Delta Govt Officials

According to him, the scheme, when established, would provide hope for graduates and allow them to acquire experience before they secure full-time employment.

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The lawmaker also noted that the scheme would help address insecurity and criminal activities, arising from unemployment.

He also acknowledged existing agencies such as the National Directorate of Employment and the Industrial Trust Fund, stressing however that they have not been targeted adequately at the beneficiaries.

He believes that the scheme, which will have a database, will be more effective in streamlining interventions to the beneficiaries.

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READ ALSO: N2.7bn Fraud: EFCC Arraigns Ex-aviation Minister Daughter Thursday

Though many lawmakers who made contributions supported the proposed legislation, Ahmed Wadada ( SDP Nasarawa West), argued that the bill may not be the solution needed to tackle unemployment in the country.

He added that the focus should be on creating an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and consequently create jobs and not thinking of benefits for the unemployed.

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If the environment is enabling enough to up to 10 Dangotes, the rate of unemployment will be reduced to the barest minimum. The emphasis at all times should be to create the needed enabling environment,” he said.

After passage for second reading, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the plenary session, mandated the Senate Committee on Labour and Productivity to look at the issues raised and report back to the House in four weeks for further legislative action.

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NAFDAC Gives Nigerian Food Companies 18 Months To Cut Trans Fats

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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has set an 18-month grace period, effectively giving food companies until early 2026 before facing full enforcement of regulations to eliminate industrially produced Trans-Fatty Acids (TFA).

The initiative, launched as a comprehensive strategy and roadmap for TFA regulation, moves Nigeria from simply having the policy to enforcing its world-class standard: a regulatory limit of no more than two grams of industrially produced trans fat per 100 grams of total fat or oil.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasised that the roadmap moves the country beyond policy creation to aggressive enforcement and implementation.

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READ ALSO:NAFDAC Warns Of Fake Artemetrin DS, Antibiotic Ciprofit 500 In Circulation

This was contained in the NAFDAC DG’s keynote speech posted on the agency’s official X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

Adeyeye stressed the moral imperative of the Agency’s mission.

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The removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food chain is not only a technical achievement, but a moral imperative.

“Eliminating industrially produced trans fats is possible, achievable, necessary, and urgent,” Adeyeye stated, calling for national collaboration.

The moratorium period is designed to allow manufacturers to exhaust existing stock with outdated labels and reformulate their products to comply with the legal limit.

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READ ALSO:NAFDAC Seals Illegal Chemical, Water Firm In Abuja

NAFDAC’s action targets a dangerous dietary risk factor strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and premature death globally.

Adeyeye emphasised the significance of the move beyond technical compliance, noting, “The removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food chain is not only a technical achievement, but a moral imperative.”

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This aggressive step builds upon Nigeria’s existing reputation; the country was recognised by the World Health Organisation in 2023 for adopting best-practice TFA elimination policies.

The new roadmap is key to securing WHO validation of Nigeria’s full TFA elimination programme, establishing the nation as a regional leader in public health interventions.

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Mohbad’s Father Urges Lagos AG To Prosecute Wife, Nurse, Others

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Joseph Aloba, the father of late singer Mohbad, has urged the Lagos State government to initiate criminal proceedings against individuals named in the coroner’s inquest into his son’s death.

Mohbad passed away on September 12, 2023, following an injection administered by auxiliary nurse Feyisayo Ogedengbe.

Despite being buried the next day, public outcry and ongoing investigations led to the exhumation of his body on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy.

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In a letter dated October 3 and addressed to the attorney general of Lagos State through his lawyers, Aloba demanded that criminal charges be filed against those indicted within 14 days.

READ ALSO:Mohbad: Naira Marley Speaks In New Video

Specifically, we refer to persons indicted by the coroner’s verdict hereunder: Miss Ogedengbe Fisayo, indicted for unlawful medical practice and gross medical negligence; and Mrs. Omowunmi Aloba, indicted for negligence,” the letter reads.

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“This includes Ibrahim Owodunni, a.k.a. Prime Boy, and others who either facilitated the invitation of the auxiliary nurse or refused to take him promptly to a recognised medical facility for treatment.”

Mohbad’s father said he was concerned that despite the coroner’s clear verdict, no prosecutorial steps had been taken against those indicted nearly three months after the judgment.

He asked the attorney general to exercise prosecutorial powers within the 14 days, or, in the alternative, grant him and his legal team a fiat to prosecute the matter on behalf of the state.

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READ ALSO:Mohbad: What I Told Naira Marley Regarding Iyabo Ojo – VeryDarkMan

“Our Client, as a bereaved father desirous of ensuring that justice is done and seen to be done, is deeply concerned that notwithstanding the clear indictments contained in the Coroner’s Verdict, no prosecutorial steps have been taken against the aforementioned persons since the delivery of the Verdict on 11th July, 2025,” the letter reads.

The judicial observations amount to clear indictments warranting the prosecution of the said individuals in order to give full effect to the Coroner’s findings and recommendations, and to ensure that justice is manifestly and adequately served in this matter.

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“We request that you exercise your prosecutorial power on the above subject matter within 14 Days Next, in view of the high sensitivity of this matter and the public attention and outrage it has generated.”

In October 2023, Naira Marley and Sam Larry were arrested over allegations linking them to Mohbad’s death, but were released on bail after five weeks in detention.

By February 2025, a magistrate court cleared them of any involvement in the singer’s demise.

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Boko Haram Once Nominated Muhammadu Buhari As Negotiator – Jonathan Revealed

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday, disclosed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari as their negotiator.

Jonathan said Boko Haram chose Buhari to negotiate with the Nigerian government on their behalf.

He made the disclosure while speaking at the public presentation of Scars, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja.

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READ ALSO:2027: Details Of Jonathan, Peter Obi Meeting Emerge

Jonathan said the insurgents named Buhari after his then-administration set up several committees to explore dialogue with the group.

Jonathan said: “One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.

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“So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and had a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today.”

Jonathan noted that the inability of Buhari to eradicate Boko Haram terrorists showed that the crisis was more complex than often portrayed.

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