Nigeria’s annual inflation rate rose for the third straight month to 22.04 percent in March from 21.91 percent in the previous month, according to the latest inflation report released on Saturday. The report published by the National Bureau Statistics (NBS) said the food inflation rate quickened to 24.46 percent in March from 24.35 percent in the previous month. “On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 6.13 percent points higher compared to the rate recorded in March 2022 which was 15.92 percent,” it said. According to the NBS, the contributions of items on the divisional level to the increase in the headline index are food and non-alcoholic beverages (11.42 percent); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel (3.69 percent); clothing and footwear (1.69 percent); transport (1.43 percent); and furnishings, household equipment and maintenance (1.11.percent); amongst others. “In March 2023, food inflation on a year-on-year basis was highest in Kwara (28.84 percent), Ondo (28.22 percent), and Lagos (27.92 percent),”the report further reads. “Sokoto (18.99 percent), Zamfara (20.57 percent) and Plateau (21.38 percent) recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis.
Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Yunusa Hudu Ari, earlier on Sunday, declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, winner of the governorship poll, which is in violation of sections 64 and 65 of the Electoral Act 2022 and Part 3 of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines, which vests the power to declare results solely on a Returning Officer appointed by the electoral umpire. INEC subsequently released a statement rendering the action of Yunusa null, void and of no effect, with the collation of results of the supplementary election suspended. Meanwhile, Kebbi State’s Returning Officer, Professor Saidu Yusuf, declared the APC’s Nasir Idris winner of the governorship election in the state. Professor Saidu Yusuf said Nasiru Idris scored 409,225 votes against his closest rival, the Peoples Democratic Party’s General Aminu Bands, who had 360,940 votes.
Telecommunication companies in Ghana have up to Monday, 17 April 2023, to ensure that all SIM cards disconnected during the re-registration exercise are removed from the database. This is the directive from the National Communications Authority (NCA). “All SIMs registered after the limit of ten (10) must be removed from SIM registration databases and deactivated, with the same reflected in the Central SIM Register by Monday, 17 April 2023,” the NCA said in a statement. This includes SIMs that remain blocked in compliance with the Communication Minister’s directive at the end of November last year. Additionally, the NCA has ordered that telecom operators furnish them with the total number of SIMs disconnected in compliance with the directive by 18 April 2023.
Explosions rocked the Sudanese capital on Saturday as paramilitaries and the regular army traded attacks on each other’s bases, days after the army warned the country was at a “dangerous” turning point. The paramilitaries said they were in control of the presidential palace as well as Khartoum airport, claims denied by the army, as civilian leaders called for an immediate ceasefire to prevent the country’s “total collapse.” The eruption of violence came after weeks of deepening tensions between military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his number two, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, over the planned integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the regular army. Al-Burhan has been at loggerheads with his number two, the RSF commander, over talks to finalise a deal to return the country to civilian rule and end the crisis sparked by their 2021 coup. “The army headquarters, Khartoum airport, and Merowe base are under full control of the Sudanese army,” an army statement said. Sudan’s army appeared to gain the upper hand on Sunday in a bloody power struggle with rival paramilitary forces after blasting their bases with air strikes, witnesses said, and at least 59 civilians were killed including three UN workers.