Author: Hamza Rufai

THE 16th Fulani Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has completed a doctorate in Islamic Law at the University of London, United Kingdom. In a heartwarming video, Sanusi could be seen getting emotional after he was told that his thesis was approved without any correction. The video showed the monarch being congratulated in a meeting held virtually. The thesis was on: “Codification of Islamic Family Law as an Instrument of Social Reform: A Case Study of the Emirate of Kano and Comparison with the Kingdom of Morocco.” Sanusi started the PhD programme after he was deposed by the then governor of Kano, Abdullahi …

A GROUP of prominent political leaders from the North emerged yesterday, named the League of Northern Democrats (LND), which said it would convene a strategic summit to revive the region’s political and economic place in Nigeria. The group, which declared its intention to unite and reposition the North as a leading force in Nigeria’s political landscape, further revealed that its general concern is the development of Northern Nigeria, stressing that it does not represent the interest of anybody. The 226-member group, led by former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, as interim chairman, Umar Ardo, as convener, and Hon.…

THE Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Ogun State, Barrister ‘Niyi Ijalaye is dead. The Ogun REC slumped and died in Abuja on Monday evening after a meeting of RECs at the Commission’s headquarters. The cause of his death is yet unknown. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that the former Resident Electoral Commissioner had returned to his hotel room after the meeting before the incident happened. It was further disclosed that the Ondo-born administrator who was lively throughout the commission’s meeting, retired to a Hotel in the Federal Capital Territory before his…

THE National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has accredited 17 academic programmes at Federal Polytechnic Kabo across various schools within the institution. This benchmark, achieved on Friday, August 16, 2024, marks a significant step in the Polytechnic’s commitment to providing quality technical and vocational education. The accreditation covers a broad range of disciplines across four major schools within the Polytechnic, including the School of Engineering, which now offers National Diplomas (ND) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering Technology, and Electrical/Electronic Engineering. Programmes accredited by the NBTE in the School of Health Sciences include ND in Public Health Technology, Science Laboratory Technology,…

THE sales of crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries in local currency will commence on October 1, 2024, according to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun Edun made this announcement during a meeting with the Implementation Committee on Monday in Abuja. The Finance Ministry in a post on its X (formerly Twitter) handle, said the meeting was to review progress of the transition to crude oil sales in naira. The post stated that key roles were outlined for stakeholders, including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Central Bank…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has announced a net profit of N3.297 trillion for the financial year ending December 2023, marking a 28% increase from the N2.548 trillion profit recorded in 2022. A statement by Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, on Monday noted that this achievement, the highest in the company’s 46-year history, was disclosed during a world press conference at the NNPC Towers in Abuja. The statement said, “The NNPC Limited has released its 2023 Audited Financial Statement (AFS), declaring a net profit of N3.297 trillion at the close of the financial year which ended in December…

TROOPS of the Nigerian Army have killed three Boko Haram terrorists, including a commander, Abu Rajab, during a raid in Sambisa Forest in Borno State. The military operation conducted in collaboration with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) targeted a terrorist camp in the Bula Daloje, Bama Local government area of the state. Military sources confirmed the killing, saying the troops engaged the terrorists in a heavy gun battle, killed three of them and forced others to flee. One of the sources said the troops, on August 17, launched an offensive operation against a terrorist enclave in Bula Daloye in…

THE Kwara State Police Command has said that it has rescued 20 victims abducted on Osi/Obbo-Aiyegunle road in Ekiti Local Government Area of the state on Friday. The Police, in a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, on Saturday, said the rescue operation was in collaboration with local vigilantes in the state. She stated that the security agencies rescued all the victims alive while three of them who were injured were taken to the hospital for treatment. This newspaper reports that the kidnapped victims, who were travelling in three different vehicles from Kwara to Kogi state…

THE queues for Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, continued on Friday in Abuja, Niger, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and many other states as the Federal Government threatened to withdraw the operating licences of oil marketers involved in PMS hoarding. On Friday, long queues of vehicles were observed at various fuel stations across the Federal Capital Territory, with many stations closed due to a lack of supply. In the Kado axis of Abuja Municipal Area Council, some fuel stations, including AA Rano, were selling petrol at N849/litre, while others remained shut. The petrol scarcity led to frustration among motorists who spent several…

THE Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture of a cash sum of $2,045m linked to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. Justice Akintayo Aluko also ordered the interim forfeiture of seven landed properties linked to the suspended CBN Governor. The lands are listed as: “two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying being and situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped/bare land, measuring 1919.592sqm with Survey Plan No. DS/LS/340 LYING, being and situate at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; a bungalow…

THE leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has faulted the explanations given by the Nigeria Police Force on the reason its personnel ransacked the NLC national headquarters in Abuja, calling for an unreserved apology from the police. Police authorities had said it did not invade the NLC secretariat but only traced a suspected criminal to the building which coincidentally houses the organisation’s office. But addressing journalists at the NLC Secretariat in Abuja, the Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Benson Upah, described the police allegations of tracing a suspected international criminal to the building as laughable. The NLC also…

THE Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, are currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the alleged mismanagement of the N90bn 2024 Hajj subsidy. In a document sighted by our correspondent on Wednesday, the anti-graft agency said, “A total of SR314,098 was recovered,” from the NAHCON chairman and other ranking officials. The EFCC said its investigation revealed that from the N90bn Hajj subsidy, Arabi, fraudulently overpaid himself and others the necessary operational cost. Also according to the document, the approved 2024 Hajj operational cost…

THE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Wednesday, announced President Bola Tinubu’s approval for the implementation of a Zero Percent Duty Rate (0%) and Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption on selected basic food items. Customs spokesman Abdullahi Maiwada said in a statement said the presidential approval was communicated through the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun. This policy is effective from 15th July 2024 and will remain in force until 31st December 2024, Maiwada added. He said the move would alleviate hardship faced by Nigerians due to high prices of essential food items. “However, it…

THE Senator representing Kano South, Senator Sumaila Kawu, has revealed that he earns over N21m monthly as a total take-home package. This revelation is coming barely 24 hours after the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission said that each of the 109 senators in the upper chamber receives a total of N1.06m in salary and allowances per month. The RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, said this as a form of clarification in response to recent controversies over the real amount each lawmaker earns per month. Based on Shehu’s disclosure, it would mean each lawmaker earns N12.72m in 12 months and the…

THE National Judicial Council is set to meet on Friday, August 16, to decide on the successor of the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola. Ariwoola is billed to bow out on August 22, when he will attain the mandatory retirement age of 70. An impeccable source at the Supreme Court told our correspondent on Tuesday that the NJC had fixed a meeting for Friday to deliberate on who becomes the next CJN. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press, noted that whatever name(s) was decided on…

A HIGH Court of the Federal Capital Territory presided over by Justice Sylvanus Oriji has extended the order restricting participants in the #EndBadGovernance protest against the Federal Government to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja. Justice Oriji extended the order on Tuesday following an application to that effect argued by Dr Ogwu James Onoja SAN on behalf of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike. At the proceedings, all 11 defendants were absent in court and were not represented by any legal practitioner. But the FCT minister through his lawyer drew the attention of the judge…

THE Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Monday, said the police are on the trial of a man who was actively involved in the Sudan war but is now in Nigeria. Egbetokun, although he did not disclose his name, said the suspect was mobilising to destabilise the country. The IG stated that the suspect was traced to a shop he was using as a decoy, which is located within the Nigeria Labour Congress building. He denied that the raid was targeted at the NLC leadership. Egbetokun spoke while responding to a question on why the police were against the…

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for caution on the part of the federal government, over ongoing public arguments between the Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission over crude supply to the refinery. In a series of posts on his X handle on Saturday, Atiku urged the federal government to ensure the success of the 650,000-capacity refinery. “Each parent eagerly awaiting the arrival of a child will dutifully undertake the necessary measures to ensure that the nurturing and development of this precious blessing remain a primary focus,” he stated. “With this understanding, I am cautious in…

POLAND has denied that its nationals who were arrested by security operatives in Kano, Nigeria, waved the Russian flag. The detained Poles were arrested on August 6 in Kano for allegedly displaying Russian flags during the #EndBadGovernance protest held by some Nigerians against economic hardship in the country. Also arrested were six Spanish nationals. The spokesperson for the Department of State Services, Peter Afunanya, at a meeting of diplomats in Abuja, said the Poles were arrested “because of where they were found during the protests and for displaying foreign flags.” However, the Polish foreign ministry denied the allegation. The ministry,…

MTN Nigeria executives, staff and partners on Friday honoured its Chief Operating Officer (COO), Hassan Jaber, as he bowed out of the MTN Group after 29 years of dedicated service and leadership. He will be replaced by Ayham Moussa as the new COO of MTN Nigeria. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, in his farewell speech in Lagos, highlighted the contributions of Jaber to the growth of the organisation. Toriola described Jaber as a dedicated staff, whose personal relationships and professional leadership was instrumental to MTN’s success. He said that Jaber, in his 29 years career in…