Author: Khadija Abubakar

THE Federation Account Allocation Committee says it shared a total sum of N1.13 trillion of earnings in December 2023 with the Federal Government, States, and Local Government Councils. This is N500bn more than the N1.08trn shared to each state in November. The FAAC in a communique after its January 2024 meeting, chaired by the Accountant General of the Federation, Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, said the N1.13trn total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N363.188 billion, distributable Value Added Tax revenue of N458.622 billion, Electronic Money Transfer Levy revenue of N17.855 billion and Exchange Difference revenue of N287.743 billion. Madein, who…

THREE persons have been abducted from the Nigerian Army Post-Service Housing Scheme in Kurudu Estate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the latest in the kidnapping scourge that has hit the area.  The Director of Army Public Relations Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu confirmed that the incident happened in the estate at about 9.00 p.m. on Thursday. According to residents of the estate, gunmen fired gunshots before escaping with their victims. However, Brigadier General Nwachukwu told Channels Television that troops have responded to a distress call from the estate and are currently on a search and rescue operation. Kurudu is one…

THE Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gudu, Abuja, on Thursday, ordered the Inspector-General of Police to pay N50m damages to the widow of the late Chief M. K. O. Abiola, Prof Zainab Abiola, for violating her fundamental rights by arresting and parading her while wearing only a nightgown. The court, in the judgment that was delivered by Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi, also ordered the police to apologise to her in two national newspapers. Abiola had filed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit marked FCT/HC/CV/2431/2023 against the IG, the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector Teju Moses and Engineer Ibrahim (son of former…

CONCERN Citizen for Good Governance has raised alarm that those behind the attack against Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila are orchestrating a deliberate attempt to pull down the President. The group said the attackers have commence the attempt by launching campaign of calumny against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila whom is a strong pillar in the presidency, so that the president can fail. The group made this known in a statement on Wednesday titled “Mischief Makers Blindfolded By Illiteracy Behind Campaign of Calumny Against Chief of Staff to President, Rt. Hon. Femi…

THE Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Audu, on Monday, said the Federal Government plans to start the production of military hardware in Ajaokuta Steel Mill. The minister said he has been working closely with his counterparts in the Ministries of Defence and Works to perfect plans for the steel plant which has been moribund for many years to start the production of iron rods and military hardware. “In addition to restarting light steel mill, we want to produce military hardware in Ajaokuta Steel,” Audu said on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria. “I have been working…

THE Federal Ministries of Solid Minerals Development and Environment are strengthening collaboration to ensure that mining operations in the country have minimal adverse impact on the environment, in line with international best practices. Speaking while receiving the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, in his office, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to securing mining areas whilst removing impediments to seamless operations and ensuring mining processes conform to global standards of negligible harmful impact on the environment. In his remarks, Mr. Lawal emphasized that issues around security in mining sites…

THE country’s inflation rate is now at 28.9 %, a new record, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This was disclosed in the NBS December 2023 Consumer Price Index (CPI) which was released on Monday afternoon. The CPI measures the rate of change in the prices of foods and services. Before Monday’s release, the country’s inflation rate was at 28.20 as of November 2023. “Looking at the movement, the December 2023 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.72% points when compared to the November 2023 headline inflation rate,” the NBS wrote. “Furthermore, on a month-on-month…

A YOUNG lady identified as Najeebah has been reportedly killed by gunmen who abducted her and five other sisters in Abuja. This newspaper learnt that Najeebah and her sisters were abducted on January 9, alongside their father. It was gathered that the gunmen later released their father, asking him to go get N60m as ransom for the release of her daughters before Friday, January 12. In a bid to raise money, Nigerians were urged to donate whatever they have into a bank account, but not enough money was gathered as of Friday. Consequently, the hoodlums reportedly killed the oldest of…

IN a commendable alignment with the Federal Government’s agenda for food security and economic stability, major sugar refineries across the nation have pledged to not increase sugar prices during the Ramadan. According to a statement by the Special Assistant on Media to Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, Tolu Moyan, Tuesday, this decision resonates strongly with the objectives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 8-Point Agenda and was highlighted during the recent tour by Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, MD, CFA, the Honorable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment. During her visits to leading sugar producers such as Dangote…

GUNMEN suspected to be kidnappers invaded Sagwari layout estate on Dutse axis of Bwari Area Council of the FCT and abducted eight persons. A resident of Dutse, Emmanuel Shagari,  said the incident happened around 11:47 pm on Sunday, when the gunmen wielding sophisticated weapons attacked the estate. He said the gunmen, who gained entrance into the estate bank fence, invaded some flats and whisked away eight persons at gunpoint. He said the gunmen operated quietly without shooting guns to avoid attracting the attention of neighbours to the estate. He said the gunmen before moving out their victims, tied down the…

THE Acting Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki, says the commission has identified at least 58 illegal universities operating in Nigeria. He clarified this when he spoke with Channels Television in Abuja on Wednesday, adding that some arrests have been made in this regard. Maiyaki said the Department of State Services was involved in the clampdown on illegal institutions. The NUC secretary urged parents to check the commission’s website for illegal and legal varsities in Nigeria so that their wards don’t fail victims of these institutions. Maiyaki’s statements followed the suspension of degree certificates from two francophone…

A FORMER Nigerian Ambassador to Namibia, Ms Lilian Onoh, has lodged a libel suit at the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas against Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama. Also joined in the case is Mr Gabriel Aduda, who was a Permanent Secretary at the ministry. The case has been assigned to Judge Jane Boyle for adjudication but no date has been fixed for hearing. In the court documents, Onoh accused Onyeama and Aduda of using a New York-based online newspaper, to defame her. In the suit before the Court, Counsel to Onoh’, Steven Thornton,…

FORMER President Muhammadu Buhari mourns the passing of Governor Akerdolu of Ondo State, describing him as a towering political and legal luminary. In a signed statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, Wednesday, Buhari said, “I have lost a valued friend. I pray that his soul finds eternal peace. My thoughts are with the countless people who are inspired by his leadership in law and politics. “My condolences to his family,the government and people of Ondo State and to our party, the All Progressives Congress.” In the message to the large Na’Abba family in Kano, the government and the people of…

THE Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has appointed the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Attahiru Jega, as the Pro-Chancellor of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi. This was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Aliyu Ubandoma, on Thursday in Lafia, the state capital. Jega is a former Vice Chancellor of the Bayero University, Kano and a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities. Ubandoma said the appointment was based on the powers bestowed on the governor as the visitor to the institution, adding that the governor approved…

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, has warned against describing the unconstitutional change of government in West Africa as solely a regional problem. Tuggar also insisted that the coup could engulf the entire African continent and add to the challenges of terrorism and other cross-border criminalities if not addressed. The minister gave the warning at the 10th Annual High-level Seminar on the Promotion of Peace and Security in Africa: Assisting African Members of the UN Security Council in Preparing to Address Peace and Security Issues on the Continent in Oran, Algeria. Tuggar, in a statement signed by his…

THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the outbreak of dengue fever in Sokoto State on Saturday. The NCDC, in a statement posted on its website, said the outbreak was detected in November 2023. The statement signed by the NCDC Director General, Ifedayo Adetifa, disclosed that so far, 71 suspected cases, 13 confirmed cases, and zero deaths have been reported in the state from three Local Government Areas -Sokoto South (60 cases), Wamako (three cases) and Dange Shuni (one case). It said the majority of the suspected cases reported fall between the age range of 21- 40 years.…

THE Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy is to establish a National Museum and a National Theatre in a Creative City to be located in Abuja. The Minister, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa made this known when she presented the 2024 Appropriation Budget draft to the Senate Committee on Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy on Thursday at the National Assembly. Musawa stated that the establishment of the two edifices were top on the list of projects of the Ministry which is intended to create employment, not only for creatives but also for Nigerians in general. The achievement of…

THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) has exempted universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions from the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) payment platform. The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, disclosed this after the federal cabinet meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He also said the heads of these institutions got relief to embark on recruitment exercise without recourse to the Head of Service of the Federation. The minister said the president had directed that the Vice Chancellor be taken out of the platform that made…

AFRICA’s top philanthropist, Aliko Dangote, has pledged his support to the Federal Government’s National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) launched at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday as part of events to mark Universal Health Coverage Day. Speaking at the multi-stakeholder Health Sector Renewal Compact event, the Managing Director of Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), Mrs Zouera Youssoufou, reiterated the foundation’s continued support for human capital development in Nigeria and expressed the Foundation’s support for the new Initiative. Mrs. Youssoufou said: “I would like to reiterate the absolute commitment of the Aliko Dangote Foundation to improving health outcomes in our…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has, with immense grief, received the news of the passing of NTA Broadcaster, Aisha Bello Mustapha, who was one of the great icons of the Nigerian broadcast media. The President extends his deepest condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues, including the management and staff of Nigerian Television Authority, Africa’s largest Television network, as well as the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria. The President joins them in paying solemn respects to the highly professional news anchor and presenter, who spent 35 years at NTA until her retirement in 2022. “During her time as the presenter of the flagship…