The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Monday, launched publicity programmes for the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and the newly created Polling Units (PU’s), in the state.

Speaking at the event, Sam Olumekun, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos, and National Commissioner-designate, said that CVR remained the bedrock of a successful and credible election.

Olumekun, who was represented by James Popoola, INEC’s administration secretary, said that the turnout of new registrants had been very low, hence the need for all stakeholders to mobilise qualified residents for registration.

“The weekly update released by the Commission on Monday, Feb. 7, on the CVR exercise, shows that the state has a total of 191,302 online pre-registrations and 63,961 completed registrations.

“The turnout of eligible registrants is somewhat low when compared with a state like Kano, which is on the same pedestal with Lagos State.

“Hence the clarion call on all critical stakeholders, including the media to join hands with the commission in mobilising Lagos residents to take maximum advantage of the opportunity provided by the current CVR,” the INEC boss said.

Olumekun said that the commission commenced the nationwide CVR on June 28, 2021, with online registration before the physical capturing started in July same year.

He said that the physical capturing exercise was ongoing in the 20 local government area (LGA), offices of the commission and INEC headquarters, urging residents to take more interest in the exercise.

According to him, the exercise runs from Mondays to Fridays between 9:00a.m and 3:00p.m daily, emphasising that it is not a fresh registration, but a process meant for Nigerians who had attained the voting age of 18 years.

Olumekun further said that the exercise was also for those who could not register before, or who had challenges with their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and could not vote in previous elections.

“The exercise also takes care of corrections, defaced PVCs (update), and either inter or intra state transfer of voting details,” he added.

The Kwara Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has warned petroleum marketers against hoarding and selling fuel above the recommended pump price.

The warning is contained in a statement signed by Babawale Afolabi, spokesperson of the command and issued to newsmen on Sunday in Ilorin.

“They should not create artificial scarcity, through hoarding of the products,” the statement said.

It quoted the State Commandant, Makinde Ayinla, as giving the warning while inspecting some petrol stations in Ilorin.

“The Command will not hesitate to seal any erring filling station and prosecute the owners,” he said.

The commandant, represented by Yusuf Ayinde, Head of the Anti-Vandal Unit, read the riot act to the stations that reportedly refused to sell fuel.

“Based on intelligence, some filling stations had been accused of selling petrol for as much as N250, which is above the recommended pump price of N165,” he said.

The statement said that some fuel stations “were caught in the act and were ordered to revert to the recommended price.”

Some of the stations visited were NNPC in the Surulere Area, Topland and Demo at Amilegbe, Total Comfort and Oilfield at Ita-Amo.

The statement said the exercise would continue on Monday with the inspection of more filling stations.

The Ethiopian journalist who took the viral photo of a boy cooking in the desert alone has told the BBC the story behind the powerful image.

Boru Konso’s photo has elicited a lot of reactions online and gotten well-wishers to donate money and items to the boy.

The journalist was riding his motorcycle in the rural district of Mio where he had gone to cover a story when he saw the boy late in the evening.

The boy told the journalist that his family lives in a different district and he was moving around with their animals in search of water and pasture. Ethiopia is currently experiencing a drought forcing pastoralists to move around.

A school teacher has been arrested in Nigeria for allegedly flogging a 19-month-old pupil to death, police says. The teacher at a nursery and primary school in Asaba, Delta state, was alleged to have left several marks

on the toddler’s body after flogging him last Monday.The suspect, who is thought to be the son of the owner of the private school, allegedly started beating the pupil after he caught him playing with water.

He has not been reported to have commented on the incident.The pupil was said to have fallen ill after the incident and

was taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Asaba where he eventually died. Police spokesman DSP Dafe Bright told BBC Pidgin that the
suspect would be charged for murder and manslaughter.

The Kwara Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has warned petroleum marketers against hoarding and selling fuel above the recommended pump price.

The warning is contained in a statement signed by Mr Babawale Afolabi, spokesperson of the command and issued to newsmen on Sunday in Ilorin.

It quoted the State Commandant, Mr Makinde Ayinla, as giving the warning while inspecting some petrol stations in Ilorin.

The commandant, represented by Mr Yusuf Ayinde, Head of the Anti-Vandal Unit, read the riot act to the stations that reportedly refused to sell fuel.