Author: Maryam Garba

WITH just three days to the end of President Muhammadu’s administration, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, says the government has made things better than it met it. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Channels Television monitored by News Point Nigeria, Fashola maintained that Buhari’s government has effected changes that have impacted the economy positively, thus fulfilling the change mantra of the All Progressives Congress (APC). “I think it a very difficult place to self-assess, but I think from the feedback that we get from those we serve. Clearly, the feedback is encouraging and it indicates that things…

No THE Joint Health Sector Unions/Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) have declared an indefinite strike. According to the aggrieved workers, the strike is as a result of the failure of the federal government to adjust the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and other demands. JOHESU/AHPA is a conglomerate of four registered trade Unions which include Medical and Health workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), and Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institution(NASU). Declaring the…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has again hinted at his retirement plans after exiting office on May 29. Speaking during the inauguration of the new Customs Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, the Nigerian leader said he would be far away from the nation’s capital after handing over power to his successor next Monday. “I try to plan to be as far away from Abuja as possible. I came from an area that is far away from Abuja,” Buhari stated. The President also underscored his cordial relationship with the Niger Republic, saying the neighbouring nation would defend him when he leaves office. According…

A COASTER bus has caught fire in front of Eagle Square in Abuja. The incident which happened on Tuesday night sent passers-by scampering for safety as the vehicle went into flames. There were speculations that it was a case of a car explosion. However, in a telephone conversation, the Police Public Relations Officer in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Josephine Adeh debunked the claim. She confirmed the incident but said it was a case of fire outbreak and not an explosion. According to her, the bus was coming from the Maitama axis of the FCT when it caught fire. “No…

WITH few days to the end of his tenure, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state has approved the deposition of the traditional rulers of Piriga and Arak Chiefdoms, His Highness Jonathan Paragua Zamuna; and His Highness General Aliyu Iliyah Yammah, respectively. In a statement, the Commissioner of Local Government, Umma Ahmad stated that the two monarchs cease to hold their respective offices from Monday, 22nd May 2023. The commissioner stated that the depositions followed recommendations from the Ministry of Local Government in line with the provisions of Section 11 of the Traditional Institutions Law No. 21 of 2021. “The District…

SOME elected members of the House of Representatives for the 10th National Assembly (NASS) across the different political party platforms say they will field Speaker and Deputy Speaker candidates. The elected lawmakers agreed to present a consensus candidate which will challenge the candidates put forward by the ruling APC. This decision was reached on Saturday after their meeting at the Transcorp hotel in Abuja with some speakership aspirants like Aliyu Betara, Yusuf Gagdi, Mariam Onuoha and others in attendance. This move appears to be in a direct defiance of the zoning arrangement as announced by the National Working Committee of…

AHEAD of the May 29th swearing-in of the President Elect, Bola Tinubu, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has advised him to ensure he assembles only people with capacity, character and track records of performance into his cabinet irrespective of their political backgrounds in order to hit the ground running immediately. To this end, he is asking aspirants jostling for the various National Assembly leadership positions to work and respect the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the President-Elect to enable the incoming administration succeed in delivering its campaign promises to the people. Wike, a chieftain of the…

THE President-Elect, Bola Tinubu has returned to Nigeria eight days to his inauguration. Tinubu was received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja by APC chieftains. Welcome back, President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Nigeria is ready for the May 29th. — Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) May 20, 2023 The All Progressives Congress (APC) powerbroker had left the country for Europe about 10 days ago to meet with investors and finetune transition plans, his spokesman, Tunde Rahman, had said. The President-Elect had met with the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, during his stay in Europe.

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has dismissed the allegations by Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, that the agency was witch-hunting him for refusing to give its Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa $2m bribe. The Spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement on Friday night urged the outgoing Zamfara governor to provide evidence to support his claim. Uwujaren, in the statement, described the governor as a suspect under investigation who would not be given dignified attention. He said, “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a trending interview granted to the Hausa Service of…

A MEMBER House of Representatives Committee on Loans, Aids and Debt Management, Abubakar Yunusa Ahmad, says federal lawmakers have approved the $800 million loan request of President Muhammadu Buhari. The lawmaker however argued that the loan would not be utilised by the Buhari administration, saying the incoming government would deploy its own approach to utilise the loan. “The $800 million — there were so many talks that we did, especially we in the loan committee and we advised them: ‘First, leave this thing to the incoming government,’” Ahmad who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily monitored by News…

THE United Kingdom has appointed Dr Richard Montgomery as the new British High Commissioner to Nigeria. On Thursday, Montgomery presented his credentials to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja. He takes over from Ms Catriona Laing who recently concluded her four years as High Commissioner in Abuja. Richard is an experienced diplomat who has worked in different parts of the world including previously in Nigeria. Prior to becoming the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard was the UK Executive Director at the World Bank Group Board from 2018 to 2022 in Washington DC, USA. He has held…

THE Independent Hajj Reporter (IHR), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has called for more security measures to taken at airports and Hajj camps during this year’s exercise. The IHR is a media related CSO that monitors and reports Hajj and Umrah activities within and outside Nigeria. Its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammed, on Thursday, said in a statement that this would dissuade the perpetration of criminal activities in places where intending pilgrims would transit from. He called on agencies responsible for security across all departure centres to be up and doing to ensure the safe airlift of the pilgrims. The National…

THE Senate, yesterday, urged the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele to release the $717, 478, 606 airlines’ funds blocked in the country. The red chamber also called on the CBN to allocate $25 million to airlines operating in Nigeria at its dollar auction. These resolutions were sequel to the consideration and adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP-Ekiti South), titled: “Current Issues on airlines blocked funds in Nigeria.” Olujimi is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation. The Vice Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Bala Na’Allah (APC-Kebbi ) presented the motion…

THE Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday adjourned to Friday, May 19 for continuation of pre-hearing in the petition by presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi against the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu. LP National Chairman, Julius Abure was also in court on Wednesday. The party’s factional chairman, Lamidi Apapa was also present. The Tribunal had last week adjourned the pre-hearing session on Obi and the LP’s petition till May 17 at the instance of the petitioners. On Wednesday, the justices arrived to commence the day’s proceedings and also refused to acknowledge the representation of the…

JUSTICE Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja has granted the request of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to protect the identity of witnesses in a suit against the suspended deputy commissioner of police, Abba Kyari. At the day’s proceedings, Counsel to the NDLEA, Sunday Joseph, asked the judge to restrict lawyers, litigants, visitors and journalists, who are not parties in the suit, from accessing the court during the testimony of the witness. The NDLEA lawyer said the application was to give protection to witnesses who are intelligence officers. Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, granted the application…

THERE were indications, yesterday, that Dangote Petroleum Refinery has the capacity to supply adequate petroleum products — gasoline, diesel, kerosene and aviation jet — to consumers in Nigeria. In the Facts Sheet, obtained by this newspaper, the company, stated: “Dangote Petroleum Refinery can meet 100% of the Nigerian requirement of all refined products (Gasoline, 53 million litres per day; Diesel, 34 litres per day; Kerosene, 10 million litres per day and Aviation Jet, 2 million litres per day) and also have surplus of each of these products for export. “Designed for 100% Nigerian Crude with flexibility to process other crudes.…

THE Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has declared a five-day warning strike following the failure of the Federal Government to meet its demands. The resident doctors said the strike will commence at 8am on Wednesday, May 17, and will end Monday, May 22, at 8am. This was the decision reached after its six and half hours extraordinary National Executive Council meeting held virtually on Monday. NARD had on April 29, 2023, issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its demands or face industrial disharmony. The ultimatum ended on Saturday, May 13, 2023. The doctors are demanding an…

NIGERIA is now second highest among countries with a high number of maternal deaths in the world, a new report from the World Health Organisation, WHO has disclosed. The report tagged the 2023 Progress Report, revealed that Nigeria accounts for 29 per cent of the global toll in 290,000 maternal deaths cases every year and may miss the SDG target by 2030 The country also ranked highest globally in incidences of neonatal and child deaths. The report also highlighted 8 other countries with high maternal, neonatal and stillbirths including Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia,…

THE Federal Government on Thursday revealed that Nigeria will spend N22.4 billion feeding inmates in correctional centres nationwide. This is according to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore, who disclosed this at a two-day High Conference on Decongestion and Corrections Management in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Belgore stated that the fund is budgeted for in the 2023 Appropriation Act. He said that there has been a steady rise in the population of the custodial centres with at least 80% of the inmates awaiting trial. According to him, there are 244 custodial centres nationwide, with a 75,507-inmate population,…

THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, on Wednesday, said it has sanctioned no fewer than 35 companies in Kano as of the first quarter of 2023. The NAFDAC State Coordinator, Kasim Idrisa Ibrahim, who made the disclosure to this newspaper, while spotlighting the activities of the agency during the period under review, noted that the agency carried out 280 regulatory activities, within the period, adding that the agency equally carried out 85 unscheduled visits to companies and other business premises. In addition, it carried out 108 surveillances, as part of redoubled efforts towards ensuring best practices,…