Author: Hamza Rufai

MEMBERS of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) held an in-person meeting at the Forum’s Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday night. Fifteen governors, mainly of the All Progressives Congress (APC), were present at the meeting. Governor Alex Otti of Abia State elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) and his Anambra State counterpart, Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), were the only opposition governors in attendance. The agenda of the meeting was not made available to journalists but the governors have, for weeks, been confronted with the tax reform bills presented by President Bola Tinubu to…

THE Senate has directed the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to reinstate Engr. Aniekan Paddy Ukpe, a former District Engineer, whose appointment was terminated in March 2023. The Senate also ordered that he be paid all outstanding entitlements, stating that there was no evidence linking him to the vandalization of railway tracks under his jurisdiction. The decision followed the consideration of a report presented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South). The report stemmed from a petition filed by Engr. Ukpe, alleging wrongful termination of his appointment…

THE Senate, through its Finance Committee, has issued a stern warning to government-owned agencies that fail to provide proper expenditure records from the 2024 fiscal year. Chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Sani Musa, who issued the threat on Monday during an investigative hearing, underscored that the committee will withhold allocations to any agency that does not comply with its summons for scrutiny. In an interface with the Accountant General of the Federation, Missus Oluwatoyin Madein, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the centralized payment system managed by the Office of the Accountant General also came under scrutiny as members frowned…

THE Nigerian Air Force has published the list of eligible applicants for the Zonal General Aptitude Test for its Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) 33/2024 Enlistment Exercise. Air Commodore Olusola Fakinboyewa, Director of Public Relations and Information, confirmed the development in a press release issued on Monday, It read, “This is to inform that the list of eligible applicants to attend the Zonal General Aptitude Test for Nigerian Air Force DSSC 33/2024 Enlistment Exercise has been published on the Nigerian Air Force Recruitment Portal.” According to the release, the test is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 14, 2024,…

THE crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party appears far from over, with the camp of former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, backing the embattled acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum. Some members of the party alleged that the Wike faction had finalised plans to suspend some of its opponents. A senior party member, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Sunday PUNCH, confirmed that the camp led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory was preparing to confront those against its efforts to maintain Damagum’s position. The source revealed that in the coming days, Wike’s faction would take measures such…

THE Federal Government has declared that both public and private healthcare facilities nationwide must attend to victims of gunshots with or without police clearance. The directive is contained in a statement issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Saturday via its official X handle. The statement titled ‘Non-Compliance of Medical Facilities On The Gunshot Act 2017’, signed by the Director of Information, Patricia Deworitshe said the ministry had received complaints on rejection of gunshot victims by hospitals nationwide, which had resulted in loss of lives. It also said the order is on the directive of the Coordinating…

THE Senate has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the Tax Reform Bills, stressing that no aspect of the legislative process has been suspended or withdrawn. Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio stated during plenary on Thursday that the upper chamber remains focused on its mandate to represent Nigerians’ interests and will not be intimidated by external pressures. Against the backdrop of a point of order raised by the leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Akpabio dismissed reports in the media suggesting that deliberations on the bills have been suspended or withdrawn. Dismissing any attempts to pressure the chamber, the Senate…

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has appealed to the Federal Government not to systemically phase out the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) which has “transformed” tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria in the last three decades. ASUU warned that suffocating the funding source of TETFund to run the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) would destroy public education in the country. “The only source of funding is from TETFund, so when you destroy it, you have destroyed public universities,” ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily breakfast programme on Thursday. He alleged that some members of the…

THE Senate leadership has directed its Committee on Finance to suspend further action on the proposed tax bill pending the outcome of a high-level meeting with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF). The Deputy senate president, Sen. BARAU Jibrin who made the announcement today during plenary disclosed that a special committee has been constituted to address contentious issues in the bill, with the meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, Dec 5th. The decision follows a series of deliberations by lawmakers aimed at resolving disagreements over key provisions in the proposed legislation. The contentious areas have sparked debates among stakeholders in…

DEPOSIT Money Banks in the Federal Capital Territory have increased their maximum over-the-counter withdrawal limit to N50,000 per day, findings by this newspaper have shown. A survey conducted by our correspondent on Tuesday revealed that banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank and Zenith Bank, have increased the withdrawal limit, enhancing it from N10,000 that was allowed to customers last month. At the GTBank branch located along the airport road, customers were allowed to withdraw N50,000 over the counter but a limit of N20,000 at its Automated Teller Machines. An official who spoke to our correspondent said the bank is now in…

THE green chamber experienced a rowdy session when a member of the house from Ekiti state, Akin Rotimi, touched on the controversial tax reform bills. The lawmaker in moving a motion for consideration of two reports had introduced himself as being from Ekiti state, the first state to adopt the tax reform bills. Rotimi chose to inform his colleagues about the stand of Ekiti federal lawmakers on the controversial four tax bills transmitted to the parliament on September 3, 2024. He said, Mr Speaker, I am from Ekiti State, the first state whose National Assembly caucus has unanimously endorsed the…

THE House of Representatives has urged the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, and the Ministry of Transportation to conduct a thorough investigation into recent boat mishaps in Nigeria. This is sequel to a motion of urgent national importance drawing attention to the recent boat mishap in Kogi state involving over 160 passengers, with only 24 rescued, approximately 54 confirmed dead, and an unknown number still unaccounted for. Honourable Unyime Idem who moved the motion, expressed worry that the recent surge in boat accidents has raised concerns about the safety of Nigeria’s waterways and the need for urgent intervention. The…

THE Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has said that it is wrong to say that governors of the 36 states are against the Tax Reform Bills, explaining that they only wanted to get clarifications in some areas. Speaking during Channels Televisions Townhall on the Tax Reform Bills on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria, the governor hailed the bills but stated that there are questions that needed answers. “The issue of increasing the VAT from 20 per cent to 60 per cent at the point of generation, and I am happy that Taiwo said it has now changed not…

BARRING any last-minute change of plan, the workers in the Federal Capital Territory, Cross River, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Kaduna and Zamfara states may down tools on Monday (today) following the failure of the state authorities to negotiate the payment of the N70,000 new minimum wage. Though the implementation panels set up by the concerned states have been meeting with labour leaders in a bid to ward off the strike action, the various state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress have expressed their readiness to embark on a strike from today. The FCT Council of the NLC had earlier directed the workers…

THERE are strong indications that the planned December 1 strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress may suffer a setback following the declaration by some state chapters of the union that they will not be part of the proposed industrial action. President Bola Tinubu had in July approved a new minimum wage of N70,000 for Nigerian workers, including civil servants, and pledged to review the wage every three years. Many states agreed to pay above the N70,000 minimum, with Lagos and Rivers states offering the highest pay of N85,000. However, 13 states and the Federal Capital Territory have yet to…

THE Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) says the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) has not yet commenced bulk sales or opened its purchase portal, as essential processes are still being finalized. NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. He stated that the products the refinery current sells originate from the Dangote Refinery and it include applicable fees by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). “Products from PHRC are exclusively for our retail stores at this stage. Our pricing is reviewed and adjusted periodically as necessary to reflect operational realities,”…

THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has stated that N4.47bn has been refunded to States’ Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Armed Forces for services not rendered properly by the Saudi Authorities during the 2023 Hajj exercise. A statement by the commission added that N917.14m was also refunded to 192 accredited Tour Companies that participated in the 2023 Hajj. The statement said the refund was for onward disbursement to their respective pilgrims, while the remaining participating companies would also be refunded after due reconciliation. “This refund underscores NAHCON’s commitment, under the leadership of its Chairman/CEO,…

THE Acting Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, has pledged to bring lasting peace to the country if confirmed in a substantive position. He said this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Defence and Army at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Wednesday. He stressed that the security environment in the country today requires a united effort on the part of every Nigerian. He also called for strong bilateral and multilateral alliances with neighbouring countries, as well as deep collaboration and joint efforts by the services and other security agencies. He said, “I am…

THE Senate on Wednesday protested entry of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chair, Zacch Adedeji and consultants to the Senate. This was after the Upper Chamber suspended its rules to admit Adedeji and the consultants to explain what the Tax Reform Bill entailed. However, before they were admitted, a slight uproar ensued as some lawmakers kicked against the FIRS Chair’s entry to the chamber. Sen.Ningi and Ndume raised an objection over the senate’s decision to suspend the business of the day and entertain a separate matter, in spite of its validity. According to the visibly angry senator, “The order…

THE Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Kaduna Polytechnic Chapter, Comrade Abubakar J. Abdullah, says the union will shut down all polytechnics nationwide by December 2 due to the Federal Government’s failure to meet its members’ demands. According to him, on October 6, 2024, the union leadership issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, outlining pressing demands aimed at resolving the systemic challenges that hinder the progress of polytechnics. He added that the government had failed to address the issues. Speaking at a news briefing on Tuesday in Kaduna, the chairman listed some of the demands…