Government offices and those of many corporate organizations will not be open for business today, as Muslims in Nigeria join their counterparts across the world for the celebration of Eid-El-Fitri.

The Eid holidays, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, extends to Monday next week, after the thirty days of fasting by Muslims.

The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, had in a statement released in Abuja announced the public holidays on behalf of the Federal Government.

According to the statement issued by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, the Minister congratulated the Muslim faithful on their successful completion of the Ramadan fast.

He enjoined all Nigerians to use the occasion of the Eid celebration to pray for peace, unity, prosperity and stability of the country.

Dambazau said it was the desire of government for all Nigerians to be inspired by the virtues learned during the month of Ramadan and to live a life of sacrifice, charity and love for one another.

The Minister urged all Nigerians to join hands with the government of President Muhammadu Buhari in taking the nation to greater heights.

The problem of electricity supply to the Ariaria International Market in Aba, Abia State, may soon become a thing of the past.

This is because the National Electricity Regulatory Commission has issued licenses for the generation and distribution of nine point five megawatts of electricity to power the market.

The licenses were issued to the Ariaria Market Independent Power Plant Limited and Ariaria Independent Energy Distribution Network Limited.

It may interest you to note that the Ariaria Market in Aba is rated as not just Nigeria’s largest indigenous entrepreneurial facility but also the biggest in West Africa.

It is thought that inadequate power supply to the facility slows down the production capacity of the enterprises concentrated in the industrial hub, thereby resulting in huge revenue losses.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says the State Government is aware of a plot to disrupt the local government election on Saturday.

Governor Wike particularly made reference to Abua-Odual, Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Degema,    Emohua, Ikwerre, Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni, Opobo and Tai local government areas as places where the election might be disrupted by political thugs.

The Governor alleged that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress were behind the plot, and charged the security agencies to live up to their primary responsibility of providing adequate security for the election.

Governor Wike also urged the security agencies, especially the Police, to deal decisively with those who may attempt to disturb the peace, order and security of the state before, during and after the election.

President Muhammadu buhari is expected to sign the 2018 Budget into law by next week.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja, which was presided over by President Buhari.

The Presidency had on May 25, 2018, received the 2018 Appropriation Bill from the National Assembly.

The United States and North Korea have signed a four-point declaration at the historic summit in Singapore between President Donald Trump and the Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un.

The declaration includes commitment by the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of to establish new relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

Trump and Kim also declared that the United States and North Korea will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

They also reaffirmed the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, with North Korea committing to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Furthermore; the United States and North Korea pledged to recover all Prisoners of War and remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Soon after signing the dotted lines; President Trump said they were very proud of what has happened, stressing that they both want to do something, and they were going to do something.

In its response to the development, the Chinese government, through its Foreign Minister Wang Yi, applauded the historic summit between US President and North Korean leader.

Wang said the fact that the two leaders can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history.

The Nigerian Army has sent more troops to Borno State to sustain military pressure on remnants of Boko Haram terrorists.

The was confirmed by the Acting General Officer Commanding Seven Division of the Nigerian Army Brigadier General Abdulmalik Bulama biu.

The GOC charged the newly inducted troops to be proactive and employ military tactics in the discharge of their duties while combating the Boko Haram menace.

Brigadier General BIU, who was speaking at the Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, pointed out that latest deployment was coming at a time when the terrorists had been degraded.

According to a statement released by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Texas Chukwu, that the rotation of troops was in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s directive.

Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, have been ordered to return to work after a protest against the management yesterday.

The NEMA staff lucked down their head office in Abuja in a protest that was replicated simultaneously across the agency’s offices nationwide.

The workers grievances against NEMA’s management under MUstafha Maihaja as Director General include maladministration, ineptitude, incompetence and inefficiency.

The Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Justin Uche said since Maihaja assumed office in April last year, he had grounded major humanitarian and emergency response operations of NEMA across the federation.

Meanwhile; the management of NEMA has advised its workers to end their nationwide strike and return to work, stressing that it was not given prior notice about the strike.

In a statement signed by the Head of Media and Public Relations, Sani Datti, the management noted that the issues being raised by the angry workers were already being addressed.

Datti said the group life insurance for the staff has already been approved, while personal accident insurance is also being worked out to cover the staff in the course of their duties.

However, the spokesman said the issue of allowances for Emergency Response Teams being canvassed by the workers has no basis of approval from the Salaries and Wages Commission.

The trial of Ifeanyi Maxwell Dike over the murder of eight-year-old Victory Chikamso around Eliozu resumed yesterday at the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt.

Our correspondent Victor Ezeama reports that for the second time since the murder trial began about six months ago, Ifeanyi Dike put up a strange behaviour in court when he raised his voice to complain about the increasing number of witnesses testifying against him.

Dike claimed that enemies of the state were after his life, adding that most of the testimonies were lies, but he was informed by Justice Adolphus Enebeli that he would have enough time to express himself..

The outburst by the prime suspect came after Justice Enebeli ruled against a statement tendered by the tenth prosecution witness, which was made by Ernest Mmezuoba, who is the father of the slain eight-year-old girl.

However; the defence counsel alleged that the statement was fabricated to ambush the matter in court and indict his client, after which Justice Enebeli ruled against it, saying it was brought by a wrong person at the wrong time.

Meanwhile; the court has adjourned the matter to 9th July for continuation of hearing in the murder trial.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has dismissed claims that one of its operatives, Abubakar  Madaki was involved in four-million naira alleged extortion.

Reports in some national dailies had claimed that MADAKI acted as an aide to EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, but the spokesman for the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, said that was not true.

Madaki is alleged to have obtained the sum of four million naira in a bid to secure bail for one Abdulhamid Mahmud Zari, who is being investigated by the agency for alleged money laundering.

However; the EFCC spokesman said there was no truth in the media report, which he said was contrived to malign and impugn the reputation of Madaki.

Wilson Uwujaren noted that as an operative of EFCC, Madaki has handled several high profile investigations without blemish.

Uwujaren claimed that the damning publication was part of a vengeful script by Zari and his cohorts to impugn the integrity of EFCC agent and bring him to public ridicule.

Ceremonies are taking place in Abuja and Lagos to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the June 12 presidential election in 1993, which was presumably won by late Chief M.K.O. Abiola.

These events a holding in grand style this year, with direct involvement of the Federal Government, after President Muhammadu Buhari declared June Twelve as Nigeria’s new Democracy Day, instead of 29th May that had been celebrate previously.

At the Abuja event, late Chief M.K.O. Abiola would be conferred with a posthumous national award as Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR, while his running-mate in that election, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, would receive the title of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON.

Also to be conferred with posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, is foremost human rights advocate, late Chief Gani Fawehinmi; in recognition of the role he played in trying to actualize the June 12 election mandate.

Representatives of families of the awardees are already in Abuja and were treated to a special dinner last night, which was hosted by former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole.

President Muhammadu Buhari would be presiding over the main ceremony in Abuja, after returning home from Morocco where he spent two days on official visit.