Author: Hamza Rufai

THE National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday said the floods that ravaged different parts of the country recently affected 34 states and 217 local government areas, resulting in the death of 321 persons. NEC also said 1,374,557 individuals were impacted, with 740,743 people displaced nationwide. Governor of Anambra State Professor Chukwuma Soludo disclosed this while briefing State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after the NEC meeting presided by Vice President Kashim Shettima. He said the floods also left 2,854 injured and destroyed 281,000 homes and 258,000 acres of farmland. He also said the council directed the Ministry of…

THE Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities said the ongoing strike is a long-term battle involving even vice-chancellors, bursars and registrars. On Monday, the JAC of SSANU and NASU embarked on an indefinite strike over its four-month withheld salary. Since then, activities have been grounded in universities across the country. In an interview with journalist on Wednesday, the National President of SSANU, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, said university executives, including vice-chancellors, bursars, and registrars, did not receive salaries for four months. He said as a result,…

NORTHERN governors have raised concern over the blackout in the region and want the Federal Government and related authorities to fastrack the restoration of power. The Northern Governors’ Forum said this on Monday after a meeting of the union alongside traditional rulers and other stakeholders held in Kaduna. “Forum resolves to call on the Federal Government and relevant Agencies to urgently address the current electricity power blackout affecting most of the Northern States due to vandalization of electricity transmission infrastructure,” the governors said in a communique issued after the meeting. “This matter not only underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure…

NO fewer than 40 persons are currently trapped in a building collapse that occurred in the Sabon Lugbe area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This newspaper gathered that the incident happened on Saturday ant annout 6:20pm and sympathisers and emergency workers are currently at the scene trying to get under the rubble.  In multiple videos circulated on social media, particularly X, residents are seen attempting to rescue the trapped victims. At the time of filing this report, it was unclear whether emergency services were present at the scene to assist in the rescue efforts. Our correspondent was also unable…

DETAILS have emerged on the reasons behind President Bola Tinubu’s decision to sack five ministers and leave the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, in his cabinet, despite allegations of banditry sponsorship levelled against him. The ministers who were removed from office include Mrs Uju-Ken Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN (Education), Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development), and Abdullahi Gwarzo (Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development). According to the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the decision to dismiss the ministers was influenced by public perception and empirical data…

THE House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has given the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works a five-day ultimatum to appear before it and answer questions regarding the alleged abandonment of a federal road construction project in Kaduna State, valued at ₦1,461,376,553.75. PAC Chairman, Rep. Bamidele Salam announced the directive after the Permanent Secretary failed to respond to two previous invitations. The committee made the resolution while entertaining issues bothering on non-compliance with financial regulations, the procurement act, and to assess the value for money concerning the project. The road construction contract, which spans 115 kilometer and…

THE Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has commenced work on the faulty Ugwuaji – Apir 330kV Double Circuit transmission line. According to the TCN, it discovered the fault around 5pm in the Igumale area of Benue State. The TCN said the “fault area of the transmission line, which measures about one span, was found to be a snapped 330kV transmission line located in the swampy forest of Igumale.” “Having made the discovery earlier in the evening of today, arrangements are already ongoing to mobilise equipment and materials that would be moved to the site of the incident to enable TCN…

GOMBE State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, has been nominated for the prestigious Best Security Conscious State Governor Award by Africa Security Watch, which is an international organization focused on enhancing security awareness and addressing contemporary security challenges across the African continent. The award will be presented to the Governor during the 18th Africa Security Watch Awards & Conference, scheduled to take place from December 10th to 12th, 2024, in Doha, Qatar. The event, organized in partnership with Stellenbosch University, South Africa, is a premier international platform that celebrates outstanding achievements in governance, leadership, security, safety, transport, and environmental sustainability.…

A KANO State High Court on Wednesday, fixed Nov. 20, for hearing in pending applications in the ongoing case of alleged bribery and misappropriation against the National Chairman All Progressive Congress(APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Ganduje and six others. This newspaper reports that the state government instituted an eight-count charge bordering on bribery allegations, Misappropriation and division of public funds running into billions of Naira against Ganduje and his wife. Others are; Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited and Lasage General Enterprises Limited. When the case came up for hearing of…

THE Dangote Petroleum Refinery has received four cargoes of crude oil from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited under the naira-for-crude sale agreement, officials of the refinery and the Federal Government confirmed on Tuesday. It was gathered that the four cargoes of crude were delivered to the refinery within the past three weeks when the government kick-started the sale of crude to local refineries in the local currency. Informed sources about the local crude sale deal told our correspondent that the refinery was still waiting to receive more crude oil cargoes from NNPCL, the organisation managing the country’s hydrocarbon resources.…

Imo, Bauchi, Osun, Taraba Join As Anambra, Adamawa, Ebonyi Withdraw THE Supreme Court, on Tuesday, reserved judgment in the suit filed by 19 states challenging the constitutionality of the laws establishing the EFCC and two others to a date to be communicated to the parties. The plaintiffs, in the suit marked: SC/CV/178/2023 had argued that the Supreme Court, in Dr. Joseph Nwobike Vs Federal Republic of Nigeria, had held that it was a UN Convention against corruption that was reduced into the EFCC Establishment Act and that in enacting this law in 2004, the provision of Section 12 of the…

GOVERNORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party have summoned the acting National Chairman of the party, Amb Umar Damagum, the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu and others to a crucial meeting today (Tuesday). The meeting is coming ahead of the planned National Executive Committee session scheduled for Thursday. At the meeting, the Olagunsoye Oyinlola-led reconciliation committee is expected to brief the party’s National Working Committee on its findings and potential recommendations. Addressing journalists after meeting with the PDP National Assembly caucus in Abuja, Oyinlola disclosed the role he was expected to play at the meeting. He said, “As…

DANGOTE Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja requesting the annulment of import licenses granted to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, AA Rano Limited, and four other companies. The case centred on the importation of refined petroleum products that Dangote Refinery claimed were already being produced domestically without shortages. In the suit, Dangote Refinery is also demanding ₦100bn in damages from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The refinery alleged that the NMDPRA has unlawfully continued to issue import licenses to the NNPCL,…

OIL marketers have said that the bulk of jet fuel consumed locally is now being supplied by the Dangote Refinery. According to a report by Energy Intelligence, jet fuel marketers say fuel from the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery make up the bulk of jet fuel utilised locally, less than six months after it began production. “We’re already buying from Dangote [now] it’s slightly cheaper or at least the same price as imports,” Asharami Synergy’s managing director, Foluso Sobanjo, told Energy Intelligence in an interview this week. The downstream subsidiary of Sahara Group is now Nigeria’s leading airline fuel…

NO fewer than four vessels carrying imported Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, arrived at seaports situated along the nation’s borders between Friday, October 18, and Sunday, October 20, findings by this newspaper show. According to a document obtained from the Nigerian Port Authority on Sunday, about 123.4 million litres of PMS were berthed at two seaports to improve fuel supply nationwide. The latest development confirms an exclusive report by this newspaper, which disclosed that oil dealers intend to import the commodity to supplement the supply from the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery. The dealers had stated that the supply from…

THE All Progressive Congress, APC, has swept the 21 Local Government Chairmanship seats and 239 councillorship slots in Kogi in the election held on Saturday Mr Mamman Nda-Eri, chairman, Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission, KOSIEC, who announced the results in Lokoja, said the election was peaceful, free, fair and credible. This newspaper reports that among the elected local government chairmen was a woman that clinched the seat in Ogori-Magongo Local Government. “APC performed excellently; it cleared all the chairmanship and councillorship positions, leaving nothing to the other 18 political parties that took part in the election. “The results declared at…

THE Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman noted that the country has recorded a drop in the performance of female students in examination. Mamman gave the expression at the end of a technical and vocational education training camp for girls in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital. Although he did not state the reason for the decrease in performance, however, the minister further noted that the camp would trigger female students’ interest in skills acquisition and entrepreneurship. Mamman urged female students to show commitment to their studies. According to him, the President Bola Tinubu-led administration was determined to produce students with…

THE Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to attend to numerous issues affecting the smooth operations of polytechnics and mono-technics in the country, or face a prolonged industrial action. Addressing journalists at the Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi in Plateau State Zonal Coordinator Zone B, Lumpye Simji stated that the national executive council at its last meeting, reviewed the current status of engagements with proprietors of public polytechnics, colleges of technology and mono-technics in the country, specifically on some disturbing issues affecting the polytechnic sector. Some of the issues in contention…

VANDALS have destroyed two towers along the crucial 330kV Shiroro–Kaduna transmission lines 1 and 2, throwing parts of Kano and Kaduna into darkness. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said Friday that the towers, T133 and T136, suffered extensive damage, resulting in a disruption of electricity supply to parts of the North-West, including Kaduna and Kano. The incident was first detected when one of the transmission lines tripped, shortly followed by the second, prompting TCN to mobilise local vigilante groups for increased patrols around the affected area. TCN’s Shiroro Regional Office said the cables were found to be severely compromised…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed worry over the deepening political crisis in Nigeria, pinning the blame on court rulings, which he described as “turning the cone of justice upside down.” Speaking at the 67th birthday celebration and 50-book presentation of renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor Mike Ozekhome, the former President also warned Judges not to be swayed by political antics. While addressing the gathering, which he co-chaired alongside former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Jonathan noted that recent court judgments in political matters have thrown the country into disarray, particularly referencing a ruling that empowered…