IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has voted unanimously to raise the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 13 per cent.

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, announced this on Tuesday while briefing reporters at the end committee’s meeting at the apex bank’s headquarters in Abuja.

It is the first time in two and a half years that the policy-setting committee of the nation’s financial regulator would increase the MPR, which measures the interest rate.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has decried the inadequacy within its workforce which it is said has prevented the service from properly manning the nation’s borderlines. Acting Controller-General of Immigration (CGI), Isah Idris, stated this during a virtual media interaction where he said the major responsibility of the service was border security, without overlooking the importance of passport issuance as another mandate.

According to him, the entire workforce of NIS is not more than 25,000 while Nigeria’s borders are massive, covering 5,330 kilometres with an estimated 1,490 illegal entry points into the country. “So, it is increasingly difficult for us to adequately man the borderlines,” the NIS boss admitted. “That is why we have continued to appeal to the government to increase our budgetary allocations and also grant us approval for recruitments to reinforce the workforce.

“We thank the President and the team for the approval and the recruitment we carried out in 2021, but the reality is that we need more personnel to achieve effective border management and control.” Idris said the NIS has taken some measures to improve border security and tackle the influx of illegal migrants in the country. For him, the best way to man the vast border points in Nigeria is the deployment of technology and with NIS technology building already in place, efforts have reached an advanced stage to launch electronic border management systems across 84 border locations.

The NIS chief added that the border patrol system was also being enhanced to ensure close and improved monitoring with the available personnel.

West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma has pleaded guilty to kicking and slapping his pet cat in a video that also showed him saying "I swear I'll kill it". The 27-year-old admitted two offences under the Animal Welfare Act at a hearing at Thames Magistrates' Court.

Zouma's brother Yoan, who plays for Dagenham and Redbridge, admitted one offence after an RSPCA investigation. Yoan, 24, filmed the incident, which was posted on social media. Sentencing has been adjourned to 1 June. The brothers' addresses were withheld following a court order.

The court was told about disturbing footage of the incident, which was filmed at the West Ham player's home and posted on Snapchat with 'laughing' emojis by his brother on 6 February. It was later seen by a woman who had been messaging Yoan, and she raised concern.

Zouma could be seen volleying the Bengal cat across his kitchen, before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has dissolved the State Executive Council. Mr Kelvin Ebiri, the special assistant to the governor on media, who announced this in a statement on Tuesday said the dissolution of the cabinet was with immediate effect.

He added that the Chief of Staff to the governor and his Senior Special Assistant (Protocol) have been relieved of their office.

Governor Wike, in the statement, commended the members of the Rivers State Executive Council for their service and contribution to the development of the state and wished them the best in all their future endeavours.

He instructed all the former members of his cabinet to hand over to the most senior officers in their respective ministries.

Liverpool have signed Fabio Carvalho from Fulham with the forward set to officially join on 1 July. The 19-year-old played a key role in the Cottagers' promotion to the Premier League, scoring 10 goals and providing eight assists.

The clubs agreed a fee for a move in January but the deal collapsed on deadline day. Carvalho signs a five-year deal for a fee of £5m, with a further £2.7m in add-ons. Fulham also have a 20% sell-on clause. Carvalho played for England at youth level but made his Portugal Under-21 debut in March.

He came through the Fulham academy and was nominated for EFL Young Player of the Season, which was won by Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson. "Fabio is a great talent and we did everything we could trying to secure him here on a longer deal so he could play in the Premier League with Fulham," said club owner Tony Khan.

"That didn't prove possible, but we were able to keep him for the remainder of the Championship-winning campaign and for that I know he will always be very fondly remembered by our fans."