Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Senate yesterday raised the alarm that terrorists from Mali and Burkina Faso, who operate under the aegis of Lakurawa, have invaded Kaduna state in the north-west and Niger State in the north-central, saying the trend now has an international dimension. News Point Nigeria reports that the alarm came barely days after the House of Representatives, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and other northern leaders and traditional rulers raised a similar alarm. Consequently, the Senate asked the military to set up early warning mechanisms to forestall further incursions as well as maintain presence and vigilance in the affected communities to halt…

THE national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Wednesday, urged the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to repay the people’s trust by ensuring that he leaves no abandoned projects behind after his four years in office. Ganduje gave the admonition when he received a delegation of the party leadership at the national secretariat in Abuja shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission presented Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Adelami Olaide, with their Certificates of Return. This newspaper reports that the governor was declared the winner by the electoral umpire after winning the 18 local government areas…

THERE is hope of voting for Nigerians Abroad as a bill to Amend the constitution and provide for diaspora voting has scaled 2nd reading in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The bill, co-sponsored by the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen and Sodeeq Abdullahi, seeks to amend the 2022 Electoral Act and provide opportunities for Nigerians in Diaspora to vote. The bill was passed for a second reading in July, and had been referred to the Committee on Electoral Matters for further legislative action. However, after scaling the second reading on Tuesday, it has been referred to the constitution amendment committee for…

AN audit report has uncovered financial irregularities totalling over N4.64bn in the Federal Ministry of Works (Housing Sector), raising concerns about systemic non-compliance with financial regulations and procurement laws. The findings, contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s Annual Report, cover activities between 2020 and 2021 and reveal significant lapses in internal controls under Babatunde Fashola, the former Minister of Works and Housing. The report details several issues, including payments made without proper documentation, extra-budgetary expenditures, mobilisation fees exceeding approved thresholds, and contracts awarded without following due process. A sum of N1.08bn was paid from the Government Integrated Financial Management…

THE Federal Government has promised to provide free housing units for 77,400 vulnerable Nigerians across all 774 local government areas under its proposed National Social Housing Fund. The initiative, which aims to generate N1.2 trillion through voluntary monthly contributions from Nigerians, is awaiting legislative approval to become operational. Housing and Urban Development Minister Ahmed Musa Dangiwa announced this while addressing reporters yesterday at the State House in Abuja. The minister explained that the programme targets the most vulnerable in society, offering them homes free of charge as part of the administration’s commitment to inclusive development. “The timeline quite well now…

THE Senate on Monday, vowed to invoke parliamentary sanctions against any head of Federal Government agencies which had been indicted for financial infractions in the report submitted to the National Assembly by the Auditor General for the Federation. The Chairman, Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance, Senator Garba Madoki, gave the warning at a one-day workshop in Abuja. Madoki lamented the rate at which heads of the MDAs have been shunning Senate summons and warned that further disregard for the resolutions of the red chamber would no longer be tolerated. He said, “We are going to be very strict on the…

THE deputy spokesman for the House of Representatives, Mr Philip Agbese, has disclosed that some state governors are threatening to deny federal lawmakers return tickets in the 2027 general elections if they do not withdraw their support for President Bola Tinubu’s Tax Reform Bills now before the National Assembly for consideration. Agbese also disclosed that the lawmakers will today (Monday) engage the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, and other renowned tax experts on the bills. Recall that on September 3, 2024, the President transmitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly for…

THE President of Chad, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, on Sunday received a high-level Nigerian delegation led by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. The delegation delivered a written message from President Bola Tinubu to President Déby. In the message, President Tinubu expressed his heartfelt condolences and unwavering support for the Chadian President and people following the recent terrorist attack on Barkaram Island, which claimed the lives of several Chadian soldiers. The delegation included Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, Chief of Defence Intelligence and Maj Gen Ali Salau, Force Commander MNJTF and other senior…

AMID the rising wave of inflation gripping the country, no fewer than 15 Northern states spent an approximate sum of N45bn on different poverty alleviation programmes in the first six months of 2024, an investigation by this newspaper revealed. On Friday, the National Bureau of Statistics reported that Nigeria’s inflation rate surged to 33.88 per cent in October 2024, up from 32.70 per cent in September. In January, the country’s inflation rate was 29.90 per cent, indicating that it had increased by 13 per cent within the first 10 months of the year. The effect is felt in most of…

THE Federal Government is set to earn about N6.99tn monthly from the oil sector as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in collaboration with stakeholders, has raised crude oil production to 1.8 million barrels per day. The average price of Brent, the global benchmark for crude in 2024 is around $81 per barrel. This is slightly lower than the 2022 price of $101 per barrel, but relatively stable compared to the 2023 price of $82 per barrel. By producing 1.8mbpd at an average price of $81 per barrel, the country will rake in $145.8m. In 30 days this translates to…

A HUMAN rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has condemned the gifting of houses to judges by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. The minister had in October flagged off the Design and Construction of 40 Judges’ Quarters in the Katampe District in the nation’s capital, Abuja, which has generated controversy, with many arguing that it is unethical. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Falana argued that it is wrong for the executive to give gifts to the members of the judiciary, especially judges. “The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory operates…

THE House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the Investigation of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and FCT Muslim Pilgrims Board over the 2024 Hajj exercise has described the commission as “very dirty” due to the allegations of mismanagement of funds in the agency. This is as the lower chamber queried the Commission over discrepancies in subsidies to pilgrims during the last hajj exercise. Chairman of the Committee, Sada Soli, during a hearing on the matter on Tuesday, accused NAHCON of doing this for personal gains of certain interests. In May, the federal government announced the provision of a…

THE Ministry of Defence has handed over three Agusta Westland 109 Trekker Helicopters to the Nigerian Navy. A statement by the Director Naval Information Commodore A Adams-Aliu on Wednesday, said the brief handover ceremony was done at the Caverton Helicopters Limited (CHL) hangar facilities in Ikeja Lagos. The AW 109 Helicopter has a purpose-built VIP configuration with a full leather and noise attenuation system, according to the statement. “Furthermore, the helicopter is designed with a landing skid which gives it a better loading capacity compared to wheeled helicopters. “Additionally, the helicopters are designed with auxiliary tanks which give them extended…

THE Honourable Minister of State for Industry, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh,was chief host for the National Conference  on  Building/Construction  for key stakeholders in the sector ,which held at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja, on the 12th of Nov. According to a statement by the Special Adviser, Media to the minister, Diana-Mary Nsan, Wednesday, the forum, which brought together key players in the building and construction sectors, was centered around the theme “Adherence to Standard Practices: The Bedrock of Sustainable Development in the Building Sector.” In his address, Senator John Owan Enoh  acknowledged the…

THE Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said on Tuesday that the federal government is making frantic efforts to tackle the nation’s security challenges. Tunji-Ojo who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, are losing sleep over the issue. “Nobody is resting. Not the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, not the Minister of Defence, not the Chief of Defence Staff, not the DSS,” the minister said. “Nobody is sleeping, we are working. This security issue is a major issue of…

THE Inspector-General of Police, Dr Olukayode Egbetokun, has said that the Nigeria Police secured 35,604 convictions out of a total of 128,988 criminal cases prosecuted in 10 months. Mr Egbetokun disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the opening of a workshop on enhancing professionalism and standardisation in criminal investigation, organised for heads of police investigating/intelligence units. “Available records in our Force Legal Office shows that your investigative prowess, commitment to duty and resilience have resulted in 35,604 convictions from 128,988 criminal cases charged to court across the country. “The record shows that 1,782 of the cases were on appeal…

THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said his administration will not be deterred by blackmail from civil society organisations and activists, calling for a cessation of demolition exercises in the city. The minister made the statement following a visit to the demolished Ruga settlement alongside heads of security agencies in the FCT, following a security council meeting on Sunday evening. This newspaper reports that some of the settlers, joined by human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, and controversial social media critic, Vincent Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, on Friday, protested the demolition carried out by the…

NO fewer than seven states and the Federal Capital Territory have failed to approve the minimum wage expected to commence in October this year. This is as 25 states have commenced payment or made a pronouncement on the amount to pay as the minimum wage. The states that have yet to approve a particular minimum wage amount are Zamfara, Sokoto, Osun, Cross River, Imo, Plateau, Taraba, and the FCT. This newspaper gathered that paying the N70,000 minimum wage may take a long time in Zamfara, as the state just began paying the old N30,000 minimum wage. Recall that the N30,000…

THE Minister for Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has ordered the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and all other relevant agencies of the ministry to begin the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the inter-agency committee, set up to address the incessant grid collapses in the power sector. This is as the TCN appealed for understanding among Nigerians on the possibilities of intermittent disruptions as repair work begins on the grid. The Minister’s matching order came as the transmission company reported that the national grid experienced a disturbance at approximately 11:29 am, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, which was caused by…

THE Minister for Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has ordered the immediate replacement of aged equipment as part of the recommendations to stop the incessant collapse of the national grid. Adelabu assured that the replacement would be achieved in six months. Adelabu also directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria and all other relevant agencies of the ministry to begin the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the inter-agency committee, set up to address the incessant grid collapses in the power sector. The Minister’s marching order came as the TCN reported that the national grid experienced a disturbance at approximately 11:29 am, on…