THE Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, has vowed on behalf of the Committee to conduct a comprehensive audit of the petrol subsidy regime from 1999-2023. Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Committee in Abuja on Friday, Ugochinyere said the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act would also be reviewed comprehensively. According to him, the Committee will legislate on energy security, professionalism in the petroleum sector, economic transformation, accountability, institutional reforms and revenue recovery and generation, with a specific goal of helping the Federal Government to make $20 billion in revenue from the sector.…
Author: Hamza Rufai
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THE High Court of Justice in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered the unconditional and immediate release of the immediate-past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. The court made the order after Emefiele filed a Motion Ex-parte, seeking his release from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion. Justice O.A. Adeniyi made the order after hearing the motion filed by Emefiele. The applicant named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, (AGF) the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, and the…
THE Federal High Court in Abuja has given former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, till January 25 to appear in court to explain the circumstances surrounding the $53m judgment debt arising from the Paris Club refund. Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a short ruling on Wednesday, gave Emefiele another opportunity to appear in court in person or he would issue a warrant for his arrest. The development followed a plea by Emefiele’s counsel, Audu Anuga (SAN), that all efforts to ensure that his appearance in court had been unsuccessful as he was still in custody. A Senior…
THE Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has ordered that sting operations at night be stopped in all the commission’s commands. Olukoyede gave the directive in Abuja on Wednesday, in reaction to the arrest of 69 suspected internet fraudsters in Ile-Ife, Osun State, by operatives of the Ibadan zonal command of the EFCC. The spokesperson for the anti-graft agency, Dele Oyewale made the development known in a statement obtained by our correspondent. Oyewale said, “The chairman gave the directive in Abuja on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 in reaction to the arrest of 69 suspected internet fraudsters…
THE Organised Labour has put workers on alert for an immediate nationwide action if the arrested President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is not released by the end of today (Wednesday). Channels Television reported that Ajaero was arrested in Owerri, the capital of Imo State earlier on Wednesday during a protest by workers in Imo State over an alleged “serial and habitual abuse and violation” of their rights by the state government. He was picked up from the NLC State Council Secretariat by heavily armed policemen in Owerri and taken to an unknown destination. Asking the workers to be…
GOVERNORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party will today meet former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. This newspaper reports that moves by 24 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to impeach the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, resulted in turbulence in the state on Monday, as the governor’s loyalists stormed the assembly complex in protest against the plot. The PDP Governors’ Forum, under the leadership of the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, in a communiqué read after a meeting of the group at the Oyo State Lodge in Abuja on…
THE Federal Government has reinstated its position that only a two-state solution will end the Israeli-Palestinian age-long conflict. Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, disclosed this while speaking with the press after a meeting with the Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdallah Abu Shawesh, on Tuesday evening. He said Nigeria believes both parties have a right to an independent state. The Minister lamented that innocent civilians were being killed in the conflict, calling on both parties to stop hostilities. “I reiterated to him [Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria] Nigeria’s position which is for a two-state solution and we are…
PROFESSOR Rufai Ahmed Alkali. a former national chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and Senator Sulaiman Othman Hunkuyi, candidate of the NNPP in the March 18 governorship election in Kaduna State, have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). National chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, received them into the party, on Tuesday. Prof. Bem Angwe, a former national legal adviser of the NNPP and Benue State governorship candidate, alongside 23 others from the NNPP and PDP also joined the ruling party. Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Alkali said they didn’t join the APC…
MANY feared dead as a boat carrying over 100 passengers capsized mid water at Benue river on Saturday. This newspaper learnt that traders, women and children, heading for Binnari town in Karim-Lamido local government area of the state were on the ill-fated boat. Many of the passengers were returning from Mayoreneyo fish market in Ardo-Kola LGA. The boat left Mayoreneyo local jetty at about 3:30pm and capsized 40 minutes later, according to sources. A resident of Mayoreneyo, Musa Mayoreneyo, told this newspaper that the ill-fated boat had earlier conveyed the passengers from Binnari to Mayoreneyo. In a telephone interview, a…
THE Federal Government of Nigeria supports and reiterates call for an immediate durable and sustained humanitarian truce between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza and asks for the opening of humanitarian corridor. According to a statement personally signed by the Minster of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Saturday, the situation in Gaza is dire and requires immediate attention as a result of the recent uptick in violence. Women, children, and other vulnerable groups are among Innocent civilians that have suffered greatly as a result of the indiscriminate violence and are currently bearing the consequences. The parties in the conflict must…
THE Defence Headquarters said, on Thursday, that troops in the last two weeks intercepted stolen crude worth N1.2bn. This was as it vowed to incapacitate terrorists from carrying out small-scale attacks on soft targets. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, said this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the activities of the military in the past two weeks. He said, “The ongoing counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations have prevented these evil elements from accomplishing their strategic objectives. The military will continue to degrade their ability to carry out small-scale attacks which are intended to create panic…
FORMER President Muhammadu Buhari has hailed the Supreme Court verdict that upheld President Bola Tinubu’s election, asking the opposition to team up with the Nigerian leader. Buhari said this in a statement by his spokesman Garba Shehu, minutes after the apex court dismissed appeals by Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Atiku Abubakar. “Now that we have arrived at the last bus stop, after a tortuous 8-months of expensive legal journey, the nation deserves a break. The opposition has fought a good fight. Having now exhausted their rights as constitutionally allowed, they should…
THE National chairman of the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) has applauded the supreme court decision which upheld the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the presidential election Ganduje, in a statement signed by his Chief press secretary, Mr Edwin Olofu, said the judgment has laid to rest all claims by the opposition political parties that the votes at the presidential poll were manipulated in favour of President Tinubu. Ganduje remarked that the outcome of the Supreme Court verdict would now pave the way for President Tinubu to concentrate on implementing the Renewed Hope mandate of the APC for…
THE Senate on Wednesday sworn in Amos Yohanna as the new Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District. The swearing-in was performed by the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary. Yohanna, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party replaces Abbo, who was sacked by the Appeal Court last week Monday. The Court of Appeal, Abuja had sacked Abbo, a member of the All Progressives Congress. Delivering judgment on Monday, the three-member panel presided over by Justice C.E. Nwosu-Iheme, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a Certificate of Return to Yohanna as the duly elected lawmaker…
THE organised Labour has expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding it signed with the Federal Government to avert its planned nationwide strike. The state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress said failure to implement the agreement before the October 30 deadline might leave them with no choice but to down tools, noting that they had commenced mobilisation of their members across the country. Asked on Tuesday whether Labour was satisfied with the implementation of the MoU, the Head of Information and Public Affairs of the NLC, Benson Upah,…
CHAIRMAN of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday, directed staff of the Commission to declare their assets. Olukoyede, who gave the directive at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency, Abuja, said it was in line with civil service regulations and procedures. The EFCC boss, while addressing senior members of staff of the commission, stressed that fighting corruption required those at the vanguard to be above board. “All of us are going to declare our assets; from level 17, downward. I did mine, so there’s no reason for anyone to be afraid to do the same.”…
SOME bandits in the early hours of Tuesday invaded a mosque at the Sabon Layi, Kakangi ward in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing the Imam and one worshipper identified as Kabir, with two others sustaining various degrees of injuries. Two other worshippers who sustained serious injuries from the attack were identified as Bilya Mairabo and Ashiru Mairabo. They were said to be receiving medical attention at the Jibrin Maigwari General Hospital, Birnin-Gwari. A community leader, Zubair AbduRrauf, told this newspapwer on the telephone that the incident occurred during the early morning prayers (Subhi) around 5am. AbduRrauf, who…
DOMECTIC flight operations resumed at the Kaduna International Airport after over five months when commercial airlines suspended their flights into the airport due to bandits’ threat and other logistics issues. At exactly 5:10 pm on Monday, a commercial passenger plane from Lagos landed at the airport amidst tight security, thereby marking the resumption of flight operations along the route. The Manager of Kaduna International Airport Manager, Adamu Sheikh, declared the airport safe and secure for both passengers and airline operations, insisting that the airport was never shut down due to bandit attacks. Bandits had attacked the precinct of the airport…
BANDITS have killed a local hunter, Bashir Unguwar Shekarau, and two commercial drivers, Mustapha Adamu and Malam Muktar, well known as “Teacher” along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State. It was learnt that the local hunter was fatally shot last Wednesday when their vehicle came under fire while patrolling the highway. The two commercial drivers were returning to Birnin Gwari around 3:30pm on Saturday when the bandits opened fire on their vehicles. A resident of Birnin Gwari and relative of one of the victims, Shehu Randagi, told this newspaper that another driver also lost his eyes after being hit…
GOOGLE has celebrated Nigeria’s iconic all-time leading goal scorer, Rashidi Yekini with a special doodle on his 60th posthumous birthday. Yekini is fondly remembered for his iconic goal celebration where he held on to the net after scoring Nigeria’s first goal at the USA 1994 World Cup match against Bulgaria, which ended 3-0 in favour of the Super Eagles. The doodle opened with a bio about the Kaduna-born striker “Today’s Doodle celebrates iconic Nigerian footballer Rashidi Yekini, an accomplished forward nicknamed the “Goalsfather” for his ability to sneak shots by the keeper. On this day in 1963, he was born…