Over 2,000 killed as earthquake hits Afghanistan

Published

7 months ago

October 8, 2023

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No less than 2,000 people have been killed and more than 9,000 injured after a powerful earthquake struck Afghanistan.

According to Reuters, the death toll was given by Mullah Janan Sayeeq, a spokesperson for the ministry of disasters.

Sayeeq said 2,053 people are now dead, 9,240 injured and 1,329 houses have been damaged or destroyed.

The quakes were said to have hit 35 km (20 miles) northwest of the city of Herat, with one measuring 6.3 magnitude.

The United Nations had given a preliminary figure of 320 deaths on Saturday but later said the figure was still being verified.

In an update, the UN had said 465 houses had been reported destroyed and a further 135 damaged.

“Partners and local authorities anticipate the number of casualties to rise as search and rescue efforts continue amid reports that some people may be trapped under collapsed buildings,” the UN said.

A health department official said more than 200 bodies have been taken to hospitals, most of them women and children.

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“Bodies had been taken to several places — military bases, hospitals,” the official said.

In 2022, at least 1,000 people were confirmed dead after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake erupted in Afghanistan.

Another 1,500 were injured in the disaster which hit the south-eastern city of Khost.

The earthquake led to the destruction of several properties and at the time, it was described as the deadliest to hit Afghanistan in two decades.

UPDATED: Tinubu appoints Jim Ovia as chairman of education loan fund

Published

11 hours ago

April 26, 2024

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President Bola Tinubu has appointed Jim Ovia as the chairman of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, announced the appointment of Ovia, chairman of Zenith Bank, in a statement on Friday.

Ngelale said Tinubu believes that Ovia will bring his immense wealth of experience to ensure that no Nigerian student suffers a paucity of funds in the quest for tertiary education.

On April 3, Tinubu signed the student loans amendment bill into law to provide Nigerians with quality and accessible education.

The law will allow Nigerian students in tertiary institutions to access low-interest loans for tuition and other academic needs.

Subsequently, the president appointed Akintunde Sawyerr as the managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the fund.

Tinubu also appointed Frederick Oluwafemi Akinfala as the executive director of finance and administration, while Mustapha Iyal will serve as the executive director of operations of NELFUND.

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JUST IN: Tinubu appoints Jim Ovia as chairman of education loan fund

Published

13 hours ago

April 26, 2024

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President Bola Tinubu has appointed Jim Ovia as the chairman of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, announced the appointment of Ovia, chairman of Zenith Bank, in a statement on Friday.

More to follow…

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ICPC detains TETFund boss ‘over questionable N7.6bn project’

Published

17 hours ago

April 26, 2024

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has detained Sonny Echono, executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

Demola Bakare, ICPC spokesperson, confirmed the development on Friday.

Bakare said that Echono was invited by the anti-graft agency on Thursday.

“The executive secretary of TETFund is here with us. He has been invited for questioning. He is still in custody. He was invited yesterday.” Bakare said.

“He was invited on Thursday. He has not been released. He’s still with us. Investigation is still ongoing.”

It was earlier reported that TETfund awarded two contracts to Fides Et Ratio Academy and Pole Global Marketing (PGM) within two months at the cost of N3.8 billion respectively without the approval of the federal executive council (FEC), which is required for the contract size.

The contract was to provide capacity building course and learning management systems to about 2 million students across higher institutions in the country.

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In a rejoinder, TETFund said it did not award N7.6 billion contracts to two companies without due process.

The agency said it was wrong to say they were contracts, whereas they were ICT projects implemented under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which doesn’t require competitive bidding in public procurement.

TETFund further said its disbursement guidelines were approved by the president on the recommendation of the “Fund’s Board of Trustees and concurrence of the Honourable Minister of Education in line with the TETFund Act 2011″.

In an interview with TheCable, Echono said there was no form of irregularity in the N7.6 billion project.