News

How I surv!ved 66 days at sea – Russian man

Published

2 hours ago

October 16, 2024

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A Russian man who survived 66 days adrift at sea in a small inflatable boat on Wednesday spoke from his hospital bed about his ordeal

Mikhail Pichugin, 46, was rescued by a fishing boat Monday off the coast of the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, more than two months after he set off on a boat trip with his brother and 15-year-old nephew, both of whom died aboard

Taken to a hospital in the city of Magadan, Pichugin was well enough to speak briefly to journalists Wednesday, lying in a hospital bed.

Looking pale with red-rimmed eyes but not emaciated, he gave a few details of how he managed to survive in the Sea of Okhotsk.

“With God’s help, how else? If a boat called Angel saved me,” he said, smiling, referring to the name of the fishing boat whose crew spotted him.

“I collected rainwater,” he said. He also credited a sleeping bag filled with camel hair for helping him survive.

“It’s wet, it doesn’t get dry but you crawl under it, you wriggle around a bit and you get warm.”

“I had no choice. I have my mother at home, my daughter,” he added on his motivation to live.

Magadan deputy governor Tatiana Savchenko said his condition was “satisfactory”.

She said the administration would pay for Pichugin to fly home and for relatives to visit.

Pichugin comes from Ulan-Ude in Siberia but was working on the far eastern island of Sakhalin as a d
The patient wife gets her man at what cost?
He set off from the coast of the Khabarovsk region on August 9 with his visiting brother Sergei, 49, and nephew Ilya, 15, on a crossing to Sakhalin meant to take a few hours.

When they failed to arrive, Russian rescuers surveyed the area by helicopter and plane, suspecting the boat had drifted towards Kamchatka, but found nothing and the search was eventually called off.

The boat was found around 1,000 kilometres (670 miles) from its starting point.

Pichugin may have survived because of his portly 100-kilogramme (220 pounds) stature, according to his wife. Russian television reported he weighed only 50kg when found on Monday.

His wife Yekaterina told RIA Novosti news agency: “It’s a kind of miracle”. She said the men had taken enough food and water to last only two weeks.

Transport investigators have launched a probe into possible breaches of safety rules, raising the prospect that Pichugin could face a criminal charge and risk a jail term of up to seven years.

Russian television reported the men should have taken a satellite phone, the only means of communication in the Sea of Okhotsk.

News

Impeachment Plot: Akpabio Cautions Nigerians To Disregard Media Report

Published

57 seconds ago

October 16, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has admonished Nigerians to disregard stories of his planned impeachment, even as he described it as an illusion.

Naijablitznews.com recalled that an online publication, (Name withheld on Wednesday, published a story titled “DSS Takes Over National Assembly Amid Impeachment Speculations Against Senate President Akpabio”, which has since been republished by other media outlets.

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President of Senate, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh in a statement on Wednesday said the report was a figment of the reporters imagination.

He said: “Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, wishes to state without equivocation that the speculation and misinformation circulating about an alleged impeachment plot against him is the handiwork of fifth columnists who are perpetual merchants of misinformation and purveyors of mischief.

“As a Head of one of the Arms of government, the President of the Senate categorically denies these baseless claims and reaffirms his commitment to transformational leadership of the Senate particularly and effectively collaborates with the other arms of government. There is no crack in the Upper Chamber and no Senator or Caucus is plotting any impeachment against the President of the Senate. Every Senator is focused on raising the bar of Legislative Agenda and Nation building.

“The allegations are nothing but a desperate attempt to create division and discord among the esteemed senators. It’s unfortunate that some individuals would resort to spreading falsehoods to promote the invidious reins of their blackmail enterprise.

“Senator Godswill Akpabio remains focused on the implementation of the 10th Senate’s Legislative Agenda and working tirelessly to address the pressing National issues of growth and prosperity.

“The Senate President will not be distracted by these unfounded rumours and wants to assure the public that his commitment to Nigeria’s progress remains unwavering.

“We therefore urge the public to disregard these baseless claims and instead focus on the meaningful work being done by the Senate to improve the lives of all Nigerians”.

News

BREAKING! FG delegation in meeting with NLC, TUC

Published

1 hour ago

October 16, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Federal government delegation is currently meeting with the leaders of organised labour at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The meeting is centred on the state of the nation, especially the petrol pricing system.

The meeting is taking place at the Secretary to the Office of the Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume.

At the meeting are Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, NSA; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the Labour Minister; and Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

Others are the Information Minister, Petroleum Minister, State Minister of Gas, and representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Limited.

News

Reps Ask FG To Reverse Petrol Pump Price Hike, Cooking Gas Price

Published

1 hour ago

October 16, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

…urge NNPCL, others to expedite repairs of refineries

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to reverse the recent Pump Price hike and take immediate steps to stabilise petrol and cooking gas prices through targeted interventions such as temporary price relief measures, tax reductions, or subsidies on LPG for low-income households.

The House also called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Ministry of Petroleum Resources and other relevant agencies to expedite the repair/maintenance of domestic refineries and increase local refining capacity as a stop-gap measure to reduce thedependence on imported refined petroleum products.

The lawmakers furtwhr urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to implement monetary policies that will mitigate the adverse effects of fuel price hikes on inflation, particularly with regards to essential goods and services.

These resolutions was sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance on the “Urgent need to suspend the increased cost of petrol and cooking gas in the country and provide a stop-gap”, moved by the House Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda and 111 other lawmakers.

Debating the motion, the Deputy Minority Leader, Rep. Aliyu Madaki, said that Nigeria, as an oil-producing nation, has historically relied on petroleum products and cooking gas (LPG) as essential sources of energy for both domestic and industrial purposes.

He expressed concern that in recent months, the prices of petrol and cooking gas have skyrocketed and continue to so do, creating an unsustainable financial burden on ordinary Nigerians and exacerbating the cost of living:

According to Madaki, the removal of fuel subsidies, coupled with global oil price volatility and the depreciation of the Naira, has contributed significantly to the rising cost of petrol at the pump and cooking gas for households.

The motion reads: “Worried that the escalating fuel and gas prices are impacting the cost of transportation, food, essential goods and healthcare, further increasing inflation and pushing many families into deeper financial hardship.

“Further concerned that businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are struggling to manage their operational costs due to increased fuel prices, threatening economic stability and job security.

“Acknowledging that the Federal Government has previously announced plans to repair domestic refineries and boost local refining capacity to address some of these issues but has yet to deliver significant results in this regard;

“Mindful that the rising cost of petrol and cooking gas poses a significant threat to the livelihood of millions of Nigerians and unchecked inflationary pressure caused by the increased prices can lead to social unrest, increased poverty rates, and negative long-term economic effects; Also worried that unless urgent and pragmatic steps are taken to control the rising cost of petrol and cooking gas, the Nation will go into economic crisis leading to negative outcomes like increased crime rate and mortality rate.

The House unanimously adopted the motion urging the Federal Government to explore alternative energy sources and diversify the country’s energy mix to reduce reliance on petrol and gas, promoting renewable energy solutions that are more sustainable and affordable in the long term.

The lawmakers also encourage State Governments to adopt policies that alleviate the financial burden on their citizens, such as waiving taxes or levies on transportation and goods affected by high fuel costs.

The House further mandated its special adhoc committee investigating fuels price increase to investigate and report back within two week for further legislative action.