News headlines for the 29th of March 2021.

Resident doctors restate April 1 indefinite strike

• The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has resolved to commence “a total and indefinite strike” on April 1, 2021, by 8am if the Federal Government refuses to accede to its demands.
• This was the outcome of its Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting on Saturday at the Trauma Center of National Hospital Abuja.
• The communique of the NEC attended by over 50 chapters of NARD was signed by its President, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi; Secretary-General, Dr Jerry Isogun; and Publicity/Social Secretary, Dr Dotun Osikoya.

Nigerians may bear weapons in churches, mosques –YOWICAN

• THE Christian Association of Nigeria (Youth Wing) has raised fears over the spate of kidnapping in the country, warning that citizens may resort to carrying weapons to churches, mosques, while traveling and wherever they find themselves.
• The organisation, therefore, called on the regime of the President, Muhammad’s Buhari and security agencies to sit up and act now or never.
• The National Chairman of YOWICAN, Belusochukwu Enwere, raised the fears in his speech titled, ‘Kidnapped RCCG members: Nigeria on the march to Golgotha’, delivered at the just-concluded leadership retreat held in Abuja.
• He was reacting to the kidnapping of a bus filled with Christians from the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Kaduna Province 1, who were said to be going for a prayer work in Kafanchan.

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Senate summons NNPC again, cites non-remittance of N4.07tn

• The Senate Public Accounts Committee has again summoned the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation over alleged non-remittance of N4.07tn to the Federation Account between 2010 and 2016.
• The management of the NNPC had appeared before the Senate panel penultimate week to explain how the N4.07trn was spent.
• The firm had presented a written response which stated that the money was expended on oil pipelines repairs, heavily subsidized domestic fuel supplies, security and management matters.
• The committee however asked the NNPC to provide it with the required details within a week so that the panel would either vacate or sustain the query.

Abia: PDP rejoices over its landslide in House of Reps bye-election

• The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed joy over its landslide victory in Saturday’s Aba North/South Federal Constituency be-election.
• In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, the party stated that the victory had far-reaching implications.
• According to Ologbondiyan, the victory establishes the acceptance of the party not only in Abia and the South-East zone but across the nation.
• He stated that the PDP’s massive 10,322 votes against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate’s paltry 3,674 votes were “a direct confirmation that APC has no foothold in the South-East.

NIN: Telcos lose 11.8 million subscribers in four months

• The number of telecom subscribers in the country dropped by 11.84 million in four months, according to latest industry statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission.
• The recent report shows that telecommunications operators in the country recorded yet another loss of 4.13 million active subscribers in February 2021, as the industry recorded 195.73 million GSM users in the month.
• The telcos had lost 46,648 subscribers in November 2020, followed by a drop of 3.38 million subscribers in December 2020 and then a loss of 4.29 million subscribers in January 2021.
• The four major telecoms service providers also recorded zero porting activities, following the NCC’s directive in December for the telcos to suspend sales, registration and activation of new SIM cards, hindering porting activities as well.