Author: Hamza Rufai

CHICAGO State University (CSU) has given a condition to release the credentials of President Bola Tinubu. Tinubu’s main opponent in the last presidential election, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had filed an application for his rival’s academic record. Atiku had approached a US court at the northern district of Illinois in Chicago, for an order compelling the CSU to release the academic records of Tinubu. Documents sought by Atiku, through his counsel, Angela M. Liu, include record of his admission and acceptance at the university, dates of attendance including degrees, awards and honours attained by Tinubu at…

THE National Bureau of Statistics has said that in Q1 2023, 92.6 per cent of employed persons in Nigeria were in informal employment which includes agriculture, while 89.4 per cent in informal employment which excludes agriculture. The NBS stated this in its “Nigeria Labour Force Survey” published on its website on Thursday. According to the report, Nigeria’s unemployment rate was 5.3 per cent in Q4 2022 and 4.1 per cent in Q1 2023. The figure indicates a significant drop in the unemployment rate, compared to the 33.3 per cent published by the statistics body as Nigeria’s unemployment rate in 2020.…

DIRECTORS of the Department of State Services (DSS) across the six states in the North-East geopolitical zone have asked governors of the zone to prioritise the distribution of relief materials to strengthen security gains in the insurgency-ravaged area. The request was part of the communique reached at the end of the quarterly conference held at the state headquarters of the DSS in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The top secret police operatives had gathered in Maiduguri to discuss the zone’s security and the role of intelligence gathering in the fight against terrorism. After the meeting, the DSS directors in the…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed the Director-General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Abubakar Aziz, to commence 90-day pre-retirement leave. In a statement, Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said the leave is to commence with effect from August 24, 2023, leading to his eventual retirement from service on November 24, 2023. “The President approves the appointment of Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote to serve as the Acting Director-General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for a 90-day period, with effect from August 24, 2023, after which, a full term of four years…

THE Minister of Defence, Muhammed Badaru Abubakar, and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, have promised “remarkable” changes in Nigeria’s security architecture within one year. The new ministers stated this on Tuesday while addressing journalists on the occasion of the assumption of office at the Ship House, Ministry of Defence, Abuja, barely 24 hours after being sworn in as cabinet members. Badaru assured the public that for the sake of the country, he and the minister of state could not afford to betray the trust given to them by President Bola Tinubu. According to him, within a…

THE Kaduna State government has reduced tuition fees for state-owned tertiary institutions as part of efforts to cushion the effect of the rising cost of living in the wake of the petroleum subsidy removal. The tuition fees were slashed between 30 to 50 percent for students of the Kaduna State University, Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, and Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya among others. Governor Uba Sani, who announced the tuition fees reduction at a news conference on Monday, said the move is in response to an outcry over fees charged by tertiary institutions in the state and its effect…

A DELEGATION from West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc arrived in Niger and met ousted president Mohamed Bazoum on Saturday, as they sought a peaceful rather than military solution to the country’s woes after army officers seized power in a coup. Bazoum was “in good spirits”, a source close to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) told AFP — though he remains under detention and his electricity was still cut off. He has been held with his family at the president’s official residence since the coup, with growing international concern over his conditions in detention. The ECOWAS delegation was also…

GOVERNOR Uba Sani of Kaduna State has commended the Embassy of Qatar and the Qatari-owned Sanabil project for their visionary commitment to erecting a monumental economic city and extensive housing estate with 500,000 units in the state. The initiative is aimed at uplifting the lives of the state’s vulnerable and underserved population. During the groundbreaking ceremony at Millennium City, Governor Sani said, “The Economic City will establish world-class infrastructure, positioning Kaduna as a benchmark for contemporary affordable living. It will offer a secure environment and a conducive atmosphere for thriving business activities.” In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary,…

THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Thursday said 36 officers were killed in Niger State. This newspaper had reported the killings of at least 21 soldiers in an ambush by bandits along the Zungeru-Tegina Road on Sunday. But Director Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said the figure is actually 36, when he gave a breakdown of casualties in the ambush of  the troops in Niger State and an evacuation helicopter that crashed on August 14, 2023. The breakdown was given at the biweekly briefing of the Defence Media Operations. When asked about the cause of the helicopter crash, he…

THE Inspector-General of Police, Ag. IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun PhD, NPM, has affirmed that the NPF will continue to leverage collaboration opportunities towards fostering capacity development and promoting a culture of continuous learning for Police officers. The IGP made this known while receiving a team from the National Defence College, led by the Commandant, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Morankiyo Olotu, during a courtesy visit to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on August 15, 2023. The Commandant expressed the desire of the College to partner the NPF on all areas of mutual benefit. He further disclosed that a total of 98 police officers…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it has no plan to raise the pump price per litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol. In a terse statement on Monday night, the company urged Nigerians to disregard speculations of a fresh hike in price of the premium product. The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, had on Monday, warned the NNPC Limited against fresh petrol price hike. However, NNPC Limited Spokesman, Muhammad Garbadeen, in a statement, said the company has no intention to increase petrol price for the third consecutive time since the…

THE Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has defended the decision of the commission to employ 300 staff without advertising the positions. Professor Oloyede, who appeared before the House of Representatives on Monday, said the decision was to fill vacancies created due to retirement. The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee is investigating employment racketeering by Ministries, Departments and Agencies and mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). Meanwhile, the committee also observed that 14 individuals at the Federal Character Commission (FCC) received salaries through IPPIS without being placed in any federal…

DOZENS of farmers in villages in Wushishi and Lavun LGAs have reportedly fled their homes since Friday night due to the movements of bandits across the two local governments. Some farmers who spoke with our correspondent via telephone said they fled their homes in heavy rain on Friday night to escape the onslaught of the bandits whom they noted moved in large numbers with cattle. Residents said the bandits passed the night in Akare and Cheji in Wushishi LGA on Friday after the villagers had fled to Wushishi town and the ancient town of Zungeru. The Chairman, Niger State Vigilante…

GOVERNOR Uba Sani of Kaduna State has denied a social media story that he opposed the ministerial nomination of his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, or his recommended replacement. El-Rufai is among the 48 ministerial nominees sent to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu, but he is yet to be cleared by the Senate on the basis of pending security reports against him. Following the withholding of his nomination, El-Rufai reportedly met with President Bola Tinubu within the week and told him he was no longer interested in being a minister and recommended that his former commissioner, Jafaru Sani, should replace him.…

THE death toll from a mosque collapse in Zaria, in Kaduna State, has risen to 10, with seven injured. The incident occurred at 4pm on Friday when Muslim worshipers were observing their evening prayer. The Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Nuhu Bamali, who confirmed the incident, said the worshipers were in the second Sujud prayer when suddenly the affected portion of the mosque collapsed on those sitting directly at the section. The royal father further explained that the victims were covered by debris from the wall built with mud which had been in existence for the past 150 years. He, however,…

SCORES of worshippers are feared dead while a dozen others sustained injuries as the Zaria Central Mosque in Kaduna state collapsed on Friday. Confirming the incident, the Emir of Zazzau, Mallam Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, said the victims were observing the Asr prayer around 4pm when the incident occurred. He said, “We had earlier observed a crack on the wall of the mosque yesterday, and was planning to deploy team of civil engineers to effect repairs, when this unfortunate incident happened.” While condoling the family of the deceased, the Emir directed that people should pray outside the mosque pending the repairs.…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has taken receipt of some gadgets and systems from the European Union aimed at enhancing in the country’s electoral system. The INEC National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, delivering a speech on Thursday at a handover event in Abuja, noted that there were several components under the Phase II Project. He stated that the first components focused on support to INEC administered through the Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI). “This support is designed to address 5 thematic areas i.e. enhancing and strengthening planning and operational capacities; (and) improving the Commission’s internal communication and external engagements with stakeholders,”…

THE Presidential Committee on Tax Policy and Fiscal Reforms says the Nigeria Customs Service and 62 other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government will stop direct collection of revenue. The Chairman of the Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily breakfast programme on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, said the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) will now collect revenue for the MDAs. Oyedele, a former Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), said Nigeria’s revenue collection from taxes is one of the lowest in the world but the cost of…

THE All Progressives Congress has disclosed that the unceremonious exit of its former National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, has nothing to do with alleged financial impropriety. Rising from its 128th National Working Committee meeting, the APC explained that its proposed appointment of external auditors was not to probe any member of the party. A former APC National Vice Chairman for North-West, Salihu Lukman, had accused Adamu and Omisore of squandering N30bn realised from the sale of nomination forms for the 2023 elections. But addressing journalists on Tuesday, the new National Secretary of the party, Senator…

THE Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the leadership of the upper-lawmaking body are meeting the organised labour at the National Assembly complex in Abuja. According to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president Comrade Joe Ajaero, labour visited the lawmakers at the invitation of the Senate over their grievances about the subsidy removal. Asides from the NLC chief, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Festus Osifo and some members of the unions, are also in the meeting. Organised labour is pushing for a reduction in the pump price of petroleum following the removal of subsidy on the product.…