Author: Maryam Garba

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is currently meeting with former governors of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The two former governors are ministerial nominees. However, while Wike was screened and confirmed by the Senate, the nation’s upper legislative chamber did not confirm el-Rufai because of an alleged security report. The former governors arrived the State House separately. While Wike came at about 1:40pm, el-Rufai entered the presidential wing of Aso Rock at 2pm Sources at the Presidential Villa hinted that efforts are being made to ensure that the Senate confirms Malam El-Rufai…

NIGERIA’s president and head of the West African bloc ECOWAS has not ruled out military intervention in Niger, but believes diplomacy is the “best way forward” to resolve the crisis, his spokesman said Tuesday. Bola Tinubu weighed in for the first time since the soldiers behind the coup in Niger defied the bloc’s Sunday deadline to reinstate elected president Mohamed Bazoum or face the possible use of force. Meanwhile, efforts by ECOWAS and the United States to parlay with Niger’s new rulers have made no headway ahead of a crisis summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Thursday. “No options…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms in Abuja. The President had four weeks ago set up the committee chaired by Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Taiwo Oyedele. The committee has experts from both the private and public sectors as members. Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, Adelabu Adedeji, had explained that the President recognised the importance of a sound fiscal policy environment and an effective taxation system for the functioning of the government and the economy. “It should be noted that this committee will not only…

THE Senate on Monday finally concluded the screening of 45 of the 48 ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu, confirming them as cabinet members after a week of intense grilling for some and cursory introductions for others. Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the nominations to a series of voice votes, of which all but three were approved. The remaining nominees, including former Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai, Stella Okotete (Delta State), and Abubakar Danladi (Taraba State), are said to still be undergoing security clearance. The confirmation comes over a week after Tinubu’s transmission of a 28-member list to the…

FESTUS Keyamo, SAN, apologised to the Senate on Monday evening over his failure to honour invitations by the relevant legislative committee overseeing the Ministry of Labour and Productivity where he had served as a minister under the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. This followed a rowdy session at the Senate during his ministerial screening earlier in the day where Senator Darlington Nwokocha (Abia Central) accused Keyamo of disrespecting the Ninth National Assembly and accusing the last Assembly of being corrupt. Tendering an apology “without reservation”, the former Minister of State for Labour and Productivity provided more insight into the circumstances.…

SENATE President, Godswill Akpabio, on Monday, rushed to the Presidential Villa minutes after a rowdy session at the Senate over the screening of a ministerial nominee, Festus Keyamo. Akpabio was spotted at the Villa at 02:55pm. Though the agenda of the Senate President at the Villa was yet unknown as of press time, it might not be unconnected to an altercation on the floor of the Senate on Monday afternoon. Minutes earlier, the Senate exploded into a rowdy session when a Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Darlington Nwokocha, moved a motion for the suspension of Keyamo’s ministerial screening. A…

A SENATOR representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Darlington Nwokocha, on Monday, moved a motion for the suspension of the ministerial screening of a ministerial nominee from Delta State, Festus Keyamo. Nwokocha’s motion was seconded by his colleague from Abia-South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe. Senate President, Godswill Akpabio thereafter subjected the motion to a voice vote but the lawmakers were divided on the matter. The red chamber immediately erupted into a rowdy session. Amid heated argument between the lawmakers, Akpabio rose to his feet, announcing that the Senate will enter a closed session. Nwokocha had accused Keyamo of disrespecting the 9th…

NIGERIAN students who were evacuated from war-torn Sudan have lamented the tedious processes of getting admitted into Nigerian universities. Recall that a total of 2,518 stranded Nigerians were evacuated from Sudan in May 2023. On June 7, 2023, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board unveiled modalities for the absorption of Nigerian students returning from war-torn countries, including Sudan, into tertiary institutions. The JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, said the procedures for emergency transfers of returning students required each of them to do a retroactive registration with the Ministry of Education. However, speaking with this newspaper, some of the students explained that…

IN a gesture signifying unity and continuity, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady, paid a courtesy visit to former President Mohammadu Buhari at his residence in Daura, Katsina State on Thursday. Accompanied by Hajia Nana Shettima, the wife of the Vice President, and several APC women chieftains in the state, Mrs. Tinubu stated that the visit was to check on the former president’s well-being and to express gratitude for his continual fatherly support. The First Lady prayed for Buhari’s long life and good health, and sought his continued guidance for not only the current administration led by her husband, President…

THE Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ben Kalu, has appointed THISDAY Correspondent, Udora Orizu, as Special Assistant on Press Affairs. In the letter of appointment dated July 25, 2023, Kalu said the appointment takes immediate effect. Miss Orizu, who is experienced in political and parliamentary reporting, was until her appointment a Correspondent with THISDAY Newspapers, covering the activities of the House of Representatives in the National Assembly since 2020. Her active journalism experience spanned over seven years during which she covered the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Environment. Orizu has a BSc and Diploma in Mass…

THE Senate on Tuesday resumed screening of the ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu. The second day saw nine appointees take the podium. Those screened included ex-governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi); Wale Edun, Uche Nnaji, Stella Okotete, Adebayo Adelabu, Ekperikpe Ekpo, Hannatu Musawa, and Musa Dangiwa. That leaves five remaining nominees, including presidential spokesman Dele Alake; Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Lateef Fagbemi; Muhammad Idris, Ali Pate, and Doris Uzoka. The Senate adjourned till Wednesday to screen the others. The Senate on Monday screened 14 of the 28-man list of ministerial nominees forwarded by President Bola Tinubu last…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Ajuri Ngelale as Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity. Ngelale, who was Senior Special Assistant for Public Affairs in the Presidency in the immediate past government, worked in the office of ex-Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. Willie Bassey, Director, Information in the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who announced the appointment said it takes effect from 31st July, 2023 and would terminate at the end of this administration unless otherwise decided by the President. “The President urges him to bring his wealth of experience to bear…

THE Federal High Court in Lagos has issued an injunction restraining the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and Sahelian Power SPV Limited from naming Powercom or any other investor as a new core shareholder in Kano Electricity Distribution Company. News Point Nigeria reports that, the court also restrained the parties were also restrained from conducting or recognising any other bidding process for the sale of Sahelian’s 60 percent shares in the Kano Electricity Distribution Company. Other parties equally restrained are Patrick J.N. Ikwueto SAN (in his capacity as receiver manager of Sahelian Power), Fidelity Bank,…

AMID the impending nationwide strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Senate has issued an urgent plea, requesting that the labour union reconsiders its planned action. The Senate’s appeal stems from a deep concern about the strike’s potentially drastic impact on everyday Nigerians, warning that the nation could be plunged into a state of extreme hardship. Addressing the situation, the Senate on Monday expressed that while the legislative body respects the NLC’s right to protest, it is crucial to weigh this against the potential fallout that could greatly affect citizens’ daily lives and livelihoods. With the Nigerian economy…

FORMER President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed shock over the coup d’etat that toppled President Mohammed Bazoum of Niger Republic. The former President, however, said he was happy that President Bola Tinubu was already dealing with the development. Buhari said this in a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Friday. The former Nigerian leader said he has confidence in President Tinubu’s ability to resolve the crisis. Buhari assured the people that Tinubu would be able to reverse the situation and ensure the safety of Bazoum and his family. “As to be expected, I, like millions of other Nigerians, am shocked…

INTERNATIONAL Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said at least 1,200 Nigerians have died while trying to migrate through the Sahara desert and Mediterranean Sea this year. The acting Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, disclosed this Thursday during the 2023 Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Nationwide Sensitization and Enlightenment Campaign at the NIS headquarters in Abuja. The event was held in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the NIS. The team visited Jabi Park, the Federal Government Boys College Apo, and Garki on Thursday. Nandap, who is in charge of the Directorate of Migration, lamented that many…

ZAMFARA State Governor, Dauda Lawal, on Thursday, honoured the pilgrim who returned 80, 000 dollars to the owner during the last Hajj in Saudi Arabia. The pilgrim, Hajiya Aishatu ‘yan Guru Nahuce from Bungudu Local Government of Zamfara State found $80,000 (N64,240,000) and handed it over to the Zamfara Pilgrims Welfare Agency official for onward return to the owner. A statement by the Spokesperson to the Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said that the Governor honored the pilgrim in the company of all Emirs of the State, which was held at the Council Chambers, Government House. The Governor further expressed the…

LAOLU Akande, a former spokesperson for ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, strongly suggested on Wednesday that the northern governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) might have “tremendous influence” on President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial list. Akande, who spoke as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, asserted that the governors fought for a balance in the party’s zoning arrangement during the 2022 presidential primaries. “The governors of the APC, especially the Northern governors were able to stand for the right thing when we were almost on the verge of tweaking the zoning balance,” Akande…

DEATHS from the outbreak of diphtheria disease in Kaduna have reportedly risen to 13 according to the latest official figures. A breakdown shows 10 people have reportedly died from the disease in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State, while 3 children died in Makarfi Local Government Area, while seven others were hospitalised. Confirming the outbreak in Markafi LGA, Local Council Health Secretary, Malam Aliyu Alhassan, said the suspected cases occurred at Tashar Na Kawu community in Gubuchi Ward of the area. He said: “Affected victims were children and the specimen of the victims was forwarded to Abuja for…

THE Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) says it shared a total sum of N907.054 billion to the Federal Government, States and Local Government Areas in June. This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of FAAC meeting for July 2023. The meeting was chaired by the Accountant General of the Federation, Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, according to a statement by FAAC’s spokesman, Bawa Mokwa, on Thursday. Mokwa disclosed that the N907.054 billion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N301.501 billion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N273.225 billion, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) of N11.436 billion,…