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No fewer that 18 pupils of St. James Primary School B, Owo-Ope, Osun State, have been hospitalized over food poisoning allegedly linked with the government’s free school feeding programme.

According to some of the parents, the affected pupils began vomiting and stooling after eating the meal on Monday, December 11.

According to them, the pupils developed complications after eating rice and egg prepared for them by food vendor agents of the O’ Meal programme on Monday.

One of the parents who simply identified herself as Iya Taiye, disclosed that her children returned home weak after vomiting and frequent stooling.

She alleged saboteurs in the school feeding programme, noting that he children are receiving treatment at home.

“I have invited doctor to treat my children. Other parent took their children to hospital but I have a doctor relation who helped me. My children are receiving treatment inside,” she said.

A top source in the school confirmed that over 50 pupils were affected one way or the other over the food poisoning.

He said 18 of the of pupils were hospitalised, adding that government has intervened in the matter.

Meanwhile, Osun State Government through the commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, has ordered full investigations into the reported cases of food poisoning.

He said the matter has been reported to the government by the Special Adviser on O-Meal, Grace Oluwaseyi Ayodele.

He said: “The governor directed stoppage of further food cooking at the affected school pending the outcome of the investigations. The affected cooks in the said schools alongside the Planning officer for the O-Meal programme have also been summoned to a meeting by Tuesday morning.

“The governor has directed enforcement of food standard and control as well as the auditing of the O-Meal structure to forestall future occurrence.”

“The government is settling the medical bills of the affected students as narrated by the Chairman of the Local Government Education Authority, Mr Nathaniel Ojetola. The LGEA Chairman who was at the forefront of the intervention efforts disclosed that a total number of 18 students were treated and discharged.

“The total student population of the school is two hundred while one hundred and three are within the population receiving food from the O-Meal Programme. A government delegation is also visiting families of the affected students.“

Bandits, on Sunday, attacked Gbaupe, a rural village behind ACO Estate Lugbe, along the Abuja Airport Road, where 12 people, including a 9-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, were kidnapped.

According to an eyewitness, two of those abducted escaped as they were being arched into the bush behind the village.

He said one of the men taken away was dragged out without a shirt or footwear.

Men of the local Vigilante were said to have engaged the kidnappers but were overpowered due to superior firepower.

As of the time of this story, it was learnt that the kidnappers had yet to contact the families of the victims.

Speaking to Vanguard under the condition of anonymity, a resident disclosed that the kidnappers, who numbered up to 15, operated from 12.15 a.m. to 2.46 a.m.

He said, “The kidnapping incident happened in the early hours of yesterday, December 11th December at Gbaupe village behind ACO Estate, Airport Road Abuja. Twelve people were kidnapped, including three young people and women. Two men later escaped.

“One vigilante was killed. The kidnappers were about 15 in number. They operated from 12.15 a.m. until 2.46 a.m., firing sporadically. The kidnappers are yet to make contact with the family. This is the 3rd incident this year.”

President Bola Tinubu has reportedly directed ailing Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to transfer power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

However, due to the governor’s weakened condition, the transfer will be facilitated through an electronic signature (e-signature), Leading reporters has gathered.

The directive came after Tinubu convened a crucial meeting on Monday to address the leadership crisis in Ondo, arising from Akeredolu’s prolonged absence from office since July 2023. This marked the second meeting facilitated by the President to address the growing concerns surrounding the governor’s health and its impact on state governance.

The meeting was prompted by mounting pressure from civil society organisations and political institutions, who threatened mass protests across Ondo State if Akeredolu didn’t step down.

The governor has remained largely absent since returning from a three-month medical leave in Germany in September.

This publication gathered that other key figures present at the meeting included Deputy Governor Aiyedatiwa, House of Assembly Speaker Olamide Oladiji, Akeredolu’s son Babajide (the Director General of the Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit in the Governor’s Office), and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.

Initial discussions involved invoking the doctrine of necessity through the State House of Assembly, which would have appointed Aiyedatiwa as Acting Governor. However, concerns were raised regarding the potential humiliation it might cause the ailing governor.

“During the meeting, it was agreed that the State House of Assembly should invoke the doctrine of necessity and make Lucky Ayedatiwa the Acting Governor, but the Speaker and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim pleaded that the ailing governor would be humiliated,” a source disclosed.

“The son (Babajide) then promised to go and obtain his father’s e-signature to pen a letter to the State House of Assembly, transferring power to the deputy governor.”

Abuja, Lagos and other major of cities in Nigeria have been thrown into darkness following another collapse of the country’s national electricity grid.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed this in a statement on Monday, December 11.

The nationwide outage occurred in the afternoon, leaving power consumers across the country in total darkness.

According to the statement signed by Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s spokesperson, the restoration of the national power grid is already ongoing.

Although Mbah said that power supply has already been restored in Abuja and a few other areas, Leading reporters can confirm that the capital city is still in darkness as at the time of writing this report.

“Abuja has already been restored, so have different areas. Full restoration ongoing,” she said.

Today’s seizure marked the second collapse since mid-September when distribution firms nationwide reported unavailability of bulk electricity from federal infrastructure.

This is even as President Bola Tinubu’s government has continued to promise Nigerians uninterrupted power supply since assuming office on May 29, 2023.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Monday said candidates for its Direct Entry examination would from 2024 undertake cognitive and verbal reasoning tests.

The Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, reiterated this during a virtual meeting with Commissioners of Education of the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

A special bulletin published by the Board on Monday quoted Oloyede to have said that “As from 2024, JAMB will conduct Aptitude Test for all Direct Entry candidates to assess their academic potential or career suitability, as well as their mental or physical capacity.”

The JAMB boss noted that “It is an intelligent test that will measure the candidate’s current cognitive skills and will not be the usual subjects such as Mathematics, Chemistry, Government, Physics, etc.”

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The Registrar explained that the aptitude test would comprise the following, Verbal, Abstract, Mechanical and Numeric Reasoning, Data Checking,  and Work Sampling.

The Registrar also informed the participants, “that the Direct Entry registration will be restricted to only JAMB Offices nationwide.”

He stated that at the point of registration, all DE candidates must provide the following information; Registration/Matriculation Number of the previous school attended where the qualification was obtained; Subjects) of qualification; Awarding Institution; Institution attended; and Year of graduation as well as admission letters where necessary.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced plans to shut down Utako Ultramodern Market over poor sanitation and rising insecurity.

The director, Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, raised the alarm over what he described as “safety concerns and poor sanitation” during a visit to the market on Monday.

Politics Nigeria reports that the market is being managed by the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

Galadima lamented the deteriorating sanitation situation in the market adding that it was very disturbing.

According to him, the market has become a ticking time-bomb for disaster waiting to happen, stressing the urgent need to clean up the market.

“It is sad that such a market, located within the heart of the city could be allowed by its managers to degenerate to a state where both human and environmental safety is compromised.”

Galadima said that an urgent meeting would be convened with all stakeholders in the market with a vow to take proactive measures to address the problem.

The director frowned at the leadership of the market for allowing illegal traders to overflow into the major streets around Utako residential areas.

He warned that the Task Force on City Sanitation would not allow any trader selling on the street, a development, he said, was leading to vandalisation of and defacing of road infrastructure.

On his part, the Secretary of FCTA’s Command and Control, Dr Peter Olumuji said apart from the nuisances in the area, residents around the market also complained of security threats surging from the market.

Olumuji argued that the market has been overtaken by idle youths and suspected hard drug peddlers and addicts.

He disclosed that the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been briefed to pay close attention to the market area to curb the activities of drug peddlers in and around the market.

The task force during the visit cleared illegal traders operating along the roads around the market.

27 Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This may not be unconnected to the unending political tension in the state.

The crisis came into public light following the burning of the Rivers State Assembly Complex on 29th October. In reaction, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, accused Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, of orchestrating the burning of a section of the State House Assembly complex.

The rift among members of the State House of Assembly had led to some lawmakers commencing impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara. This move was, however, halted following the intervention of President Tinubu.

A member of the Assembly, Enemi George, who confirmed the development to Channels Television said the 27 lawmakers were under the leadership of Martin Amaewhule.

According to him, the decision to defect to APC was taken during their sitting on Monday.

A popular broadcaster with the National Television Authority (NTA), Aisha Bello, is dead.

Aisha was the General Manager of NTA Parliament and was among the popular broadcasters on NTA Network News at 9 PM in the ’90s and early 20’s.

She also worked alongside another veteran colleague, Cyril Stober, who reportedly retired in 2019.

According to reports, a funeral prayer will be held in honour of late Aisha in Abuja today, December 11, by 1 PM.