Headline

NDE, NIRSAL Train Graduates On Entrepreneurship Skills In Bauchi

Published

4 years ago

March 7, 2022

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), in Bauchi, on Monday, commenced a five day counseling clinic for 50 graduates on entrepreneurship development in the state.

The exercise was a collaboration between the NDE and the Federal Government’s Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) microfinance bank of the CBN.

Speaking during the commencement of the training, the Director-General of NDE, Malam Abubakar Fikpo said the essence of the training was to equip the participants with the necessary knowledge of how to obtain loans from not only NIRSAL but other financial institutions.

Represented by the state Coordinator of NDE, Mr Ali Yaya, Fikpo said “NIRSAL microfinance bank will tell us all the packages they have so that at the end of this training, you will be able to write your own feasibility report.

“With such an articulated feasibility report, you would be able to go to any bank and seek for loans without any hindrance.

“By God’s grace, most of you will be able to get the loans to start your own businesses.”

According to him, a series of lectures would be delivered to the participants on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial development as well as how to write a good business feasibility report, among others.

He advised the participants to listen attentively to the lectures and work hard to optimise opportunities given to them.

Earlier, Mr Jubrin Habeeb, Head of Department, Small Scale Enterprise (SSE), NDE, Bauchi, said that the training was also to sensitise the participants on how to keep their minds completely off white collar jobs.

He added that it was also to inject the spirit of entrepreneurship into the participants so as to become employers of labour.

In his address, Mr Yusuf Timothy, Credit and Marketing Officer, NIRSAL Microfinance Bank, Bauchi, said the bank has a lot of packages and urged the participants to visit the bank at the end of the training for more information and loan applications.

He added that the bank was strategically located at the post office of anyplace it has it’s office located for easy access by the rural communities.

Timothy, who revealed that the bank has branches in three Local Government Areas of the state, namely, Bauchi, Jama’are and Katagum LGAs, added that it would soon establish offices in all the 20 LGAs of the state.

Headline

Indian Court Denies Bail To Nigerian Man Over Drug Charges

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

A court in India has denied bail to a 44-year-old Nigerian national, Cristian Soporuchukwu, who is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the country.

Cristian Soporuchukwu initially entered India on a business visa but was later arrested over allegations of involvement in the sale of hard drugs.

Reports indicated that after arriving in India, Soporuchukwu travelled through Goa, Delhi, and Mumbai, where he allegedly established links with suspected drug traffickers.

He was accused of purchasing MDMA crystals and distributing them to college students and information technology workers.

According to reports, operatives of the Beguru Police arrested Cristian Soporuchukwu in April 2025 for allegedly selling MDMA crystals around Begur Lake and the AECS Layout Road area.

The New Indian Express reported that the High Court of Karnataka subsequently dismissed the Nigerian’s bail application.

“The anti-narcotics wing seized about 1 kg of MDMA crystals, a pocket weighing machine, 10 zip-lock covers, a mobile phone and a scooter from him,” the report stated.

Justice V. Srishananda, while ruling on the bail application, reportedly held that errors relating to the grounds of arrest could not automatically justify bail in serious narcotics-related offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, NDPS, Act.

The court further noted that Cristian Soporuchukwu had allegedly overstayed his visa in India, according to the report.

Headline

Strait Of Hormuz: US Announces Sanctions Against Iran

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States Treasury has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, saying they may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may be exposed to sanctions risk.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash.

“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.

Bessent added that the US has succeeded in disrupting tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible to Tehran.

Headline

US Launches New Airstrikes On Iran

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The United States has launched new airstrikes in southern Iran.

The strike shot down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and then a ground control site.

A US official revealed that American forces struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the strikes as purely defensive, saying the US intended to maintain the ceasefire.

Report says this is the second time in three days that the US has carried out self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

Recall that on Monday the US carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile locations and boats that US Central Command said were preparing to launch mines in the Strait of Hormuz.