Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, says Nigerians condemn corruption yet rally behind corrupt leaders when they are being prosecuted. Olukoyede said underdevelopment would be a thing of the past if every citizen sees corruption as a common enemy. “Everybody is crying that Nigerians are corrupt, that the system is corrupt; that corruption is killing us and destroying our system,” he said while receiving officials of the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), led by Chris Olukolade, on Friday in Abuja. According to Olukoyede, collaboration and synergy with the CCC will boost strategic communication and…

SOLDIERS cannot return to power because military rule is outdated, former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, said yesterday. He noted that in the last 25 years, democratic rule has survived the onslaught of reactionary forces. Gen. Abdulsalami said he was proud of laying a solid foundation by handing over power to civilian authorities. Urging Nigerians and the political parties to nurture the tree of democracy, the former military leader said: “There is no alternative to civil rule.’’ Gen. Abdulsalami spoke at the launch of a book titled: “100 Years of Political Parties Evolution in Nigeria, 1923 – 2023’’…

GOVERNORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will meet on Friday in Asaba, Delta State, to address the party’s deepening crisis. The emergency meeting follows a chaotic Board of Trustees (BoT) gathering in Abuja on Wednesday, where supporters of embattled National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, attacked former PDP Youth Leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye. The meeting, convened by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, will focus on resolving internal conflicts, organizing the NEC meeting, addressing the National Secretary dispute, and reviewing the party’s state. Speaking at the BoT meeting, Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum accused party leaders of fueling…

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has described as complicated the reason for the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States. Tiggar said the situation demands careful consideration and diplomatic efforts to address the underlying concerns, stressing that the withdrawal will have far-reaching consequences for regional security, economy and integration efforts. He also noted that President Bola Tinubu has been working tirelessly to address the concerns of these countries through diplomatic channels. The Minister was also quick to remind all that the decision to impose sanctions on these countries…

PRESIDENT General, Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has expressed support for the establishment of an Independent Shariah Arbitration Panel in Ekiti and Oyo States. The sultan also expressed concern about what he said is the high spate of intolerance and disregard for the rights of Muslims, especially in the southern part of the country. The monarch noted that Muslims in Southwest have been denied their constitutional rights to a Shariah Court of Appeal. Speaking through a statement on Wednesday by the Deputy National Legal Adviser of NSCIA, Imam Haroun Eze,…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has resolved to hold a nationwide anti-telecom tariff hike protest on Tuesday, February 4. The Nation learnt that the nationwide protest was agreed on at the ongoing National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting of NLC. It is aimed at sounding a note of warning to the government that workers would resist the planned hike as it would worsen the poverty level across the country. This newspaper reports NCC approved a 50% tariff increase for mobile network operators. Recall that NLC had, on January 22, rejected the 50 percent telecommunication tariffs hike approved by the Federal Government…

THERE was mild drama as Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, the two men locked in struggle for the position of National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), clashed at the commencement of the Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting of the opposition party. The PDP, which is currently entangled in crisis from different fronts, held BoT meeting at its National Headquarters, on Wednesday. PDP BoT Chairman and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, officially opened the meeting at 12:05 p.m. in Abuja. Anyanwu was present from the start, while Ude-Okoye arrived at precisely 12:10 p.m. The atmosphere was tensed, as the…

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has claimed that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State is using criticism of President Bola Tinubu over tax reforms and other policies to launch his 2027 presidential ambition. The Minister made this allegation when he appeared on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme on Sunday monitored by News Point Nigeria. According to him, the Bauchi State governor showed that he does not have sincerity of purpose in his criticism of President Tinubu. “Governor Bala Mohammed showed clearly that he does not have any sincerity of purpose,” Tugar said on the programme. “It is not…

BAUCHI State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has described the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as a politician with double loyalty, saying such a character is shameless and sets a dangerous precedent in Nigerian politics. The governor stated this in a statement signed by Mukhtar Gidado, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, reacting to Wike’s recent media chat where he knocked Mohammed’s opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s Tax Reform Bills. Mohammed, who is the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, said Wike’s incoherence often made it difficult to discern any substantive points. The statement read, “Chief Wike’s ascendancy…

STATUTORY monthly allocations will not be directly disbursed to the 774 local governments this month by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). It is due to their inability to meet the deadline for the submission of account details, it was learnt yesterday. The councils’ January funds would be disbursed through the states, a source told this newspaper. However, according to the source, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and Primary Health Centre (PHC) would be funded directly from the Federation Account. FAAC has released N860.252 billion to the state governments for January, out of which N498.498 billion belongs to them…

THERE are indications that banks have begun the implementation of a daily withdrawal limit of N100,000 and a weekly limit of N500,000 on Point-of-Sale terminals. The implementation is coming after a directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on December 17, 2024, to limit the daily withdrawal on PoS to N100,000 per customer and N500,000 weekly. According to CBN, the intervention is aimed at addressing identified challenges, combating fraud and establishing uniform operational standards across the industry. An email by Union Bank to customers on the implementation of the daily withdrawal limit on PoS reads: “In line with CBN…

THE Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed plans by the Federal Government to establish an aircraft manufacturing firm in Nigeria. The facility is a collaboration between XeJet and indigenous banks, aiming to transform Nigeria into a regional hub for aviation services. Keyamo announced this during the launch of XeJet’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, MRO, facility and flight support centre in Abuja. He noted that the move aligned with the government’s vision to support local operators and boost the nation’s aviation industry. Keyamo said: “Since we came to office, we’ve been focused on attracting MRO facilities to…

DESPITE spending more than N14.36 billion on alternative sources of electricity for rural areas across the federation in 2024, the Federal Government proposed to spend N1.3 trillion to deepen its efforts in 2025. The Rural Electrification Agency will handle the projects under the Ministry of Power. This is as the REA, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is probing for N12.7 billion fraud, has failed to connect hundreds of communities to the national grid. As part of the ongoing probe, the EFCC traced 27 accounts to the suspended Managing Director of the REA, Salihijo Ahmad. In March 2024, Ahmad…

THE Federal Government has said all visa applications will go online before March 1. Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Monday when he was hosted on ‘X Spaces’ by an influencer, Dr Segun Awosanya. According to him, there is also now a centralised visa approval centre that has merged the visa regime to ensure uniformity, enhance national security, and reduce corruption. “The visa approval centre is also an achievement for this administration because we also now have a centralised visa approval centre. “This will stem corruption, ensure national security, and merge the visa regime to ensure uniformity.…

THE Nigerian Communications Commission approved a 50 per cent increase in call tariffs on Monday, which may raise the average cost of calls to N16.5 per minute. Based on the 2023 national telephone traffic data, this hike could generate over N6.74tn in revenue for telecom operators in 2025 if call volumes remain stable, hence Nigerians may pay this amount to the firms. However, this projection excludes the impact of free and discounted call promotions, which may alter actual revenue figures. An analysis of data from the latest 2023 Subscriber/Network Performance Report by the NCC showed that in 2023, total outgoing…

THE National Assembly has expressed concerns over the insufficient allocation of funds to the Ministry of Solid Minerals in the 2025 budget, querying plans by the Federal Government to diversify the nations economy. During a joint session today, the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committees on Solid Minerals, chaired by Senator Ekong Samson and Hon. Gaza Jonathan, the lawmakers expressed doubts about the government’s dedication to reducing its dependence on oil revenues. The lawmakers therefore summoned Finance Minister Wale Edun, Budget and Economic Planning Minister Senator Abubakar Bagudu, and the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, to clarify…

THE Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Policy and Fiscal Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has disclosed that the National Assembly will pass the controversial tax reform bills into law in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025. Speaking at the weekend during The Platform, an event organised by The Covenant Nation to facilitate national development, Oyedele also said the implementation of the tax reform bills will commence in July. The NASS is expected to resume deliberations on the bills after the suspension of actions on it last year. President Bola Tinubu on October 13, 2024, asked the National Assembly to consider…

THE Dangote Petrochemical Refinery has attributed its recent adjustment in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, to the rising cost of global crude oil. The refinery increased its ex-depot price from ₦899 to ₦955 per litre, according to a statement issued on its X handle on Sunday, 19th January 2025. Explaining the decision, the statement read: “The recent adjustment in our ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) is directly related to the significant increase in global crude oil prices. As crude remains the primary input in the production of PMS, any fluctuation in its…

IN a significant move to promote youth participation in Nigeria’s development, Minister of Youth Development, Hon. Ayodele Olawande Wisdom, has approved two slots for the Forum of National Youth Leaders of Political Parties in Nigeria (FNYLPPLN) in the Presidential Planning Committee of the upcoming National Youth Conference, Confab 2025. In a communiqué issued after a meeting held at the minister’s conference room in Abuja, Olawande emphasised the importance of youth engagement in Nigeria’s development. “The most critical issue concerning Nigeria’s youth engagement at hand right now is the organisation of a successful people’s National Youth Conference,” he stated. The minister…

TENSIONS again flared at the National Assembly as Senators and House Representatives members disrupted the 2025 budget defence session for the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The disruption occurred on Friday during the presentation by the Minister of Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who appeared alongside Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo. There was an outburst from the lawmakers over the absence of budget documents in advance. Enraged, one lawmaker directly confronted the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas). Amid the heated atmosphere, Lokpobiri apologised for the mix-up, emphasising that the delay was unintentional and assuring the committee…