JUSTICE Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Umar Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the party. The court ordered that no other person must be recognised as PDP national chairman other than Damagum until the national convention of the party scheduled for December next year. Justice Lifu issued the restraining order against the PDP NEC, BoT, and others while delivering judgment in a suit instituted against them by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina. The judge held that…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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THE crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party shows no signs of resolution, as a faction of the National Working Committee has suspended the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, for alleged disloyalty to the party. Earlier, a faction of the NWC aligned with Damagum announced the suspension of the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, and the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, for alleged disloyalty to the party. In a new twist, Ologunagba, in a statement on Friday, also announced the suspension of Damagum and Anyanwu. The statement read in part, “The National Working Committee (NWC) of…
A BILL to create a special armed squad for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) as well as other provisions to make the agency operates better has been passed for second reading at the House of Representatives. The bill sponsored by Rep. Abiodun Derin Adesida and Rep. Olaide Lateef Muhammed seeks to amend the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Act, 2007 to provide for the establishment of FRSC Special Armed Squad. It also seeks to make FRSC officers on the rank of Deputy Corp Marshal enjoy benefits attached to the rank including retirement benefits as well as empower the corps…
THE Kano State Police Command has apprehended three suspects in connection with the murder of Dahiru Musa, a 32-year-old resident of Dorayi Quarters, Kano, over a land transaction. The suspects allegedly lured Musa under false pretenses, poisoned him, and later burned his body in a bid to destroy evidence. This was confirmed by the police command’s spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna, in a statement made available to newsmen in Kano. Haruna disclosed that the suspects—Aliyu Adamu, 22; Mubarak Abdulsalam, 20; and Sadiq Sunusi, 19—are currently in police custody. “On September 29, 2024, at about 7:30 p.m., a resident of Dorayi Quarters,…
A REPORT from the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) has ranked 510 ministries, departments and agencies of government low in transparency and integrity. The report, which was released yesterday in Abuja tagged “Transparency and Integrity Index 2024” assessed 514 different MDAs out of which only four were ranked high. Presenting the report, the Executive Director of the centre, Mr. Umar Yakubu said the MDAs were assessed based on sub-variables including “anti-bribery policy, whistleblower policy, conflict of interest policy, control of corruption implementation report and citizens engagement,” He added that the report “Is geared towards assessing openness and…
ANOTHER former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Edward Adamu, on Wednesday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court Abuja that Godwin Emefiele, a former Governor of the Bank did not follow laid down procedure in the process that led to the redesign of some notes of the Nigerian currency. Led in examination by Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Oyedepo, Adamu, who is Principal Witness 4, also said that the redesign of the Naira notes launched by former President Muhammadu Buhari and currently in circulation was not the one approved by the…
THE Nigerian Army Headquarters has commenced an investigation into the allegations against the immediate past Commander of the 3 Brigade Kano, Brigadier General M.A. Sadiq. Our correspondent gathered that the general was dismissed following accusations of withholding benefits meant for his subordinates, along with other allegations of misappropriation during his tenure as commander. A military source told our correspondent that the general remains in custody and that the investigation into the allegations is ongoing. “Brigade matters are strictly handled by the Army Headquarters and not Defence Headquarters as being speculated. The general in question has been removed following allegations by…
FILLING stations belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) have increased the pump price of fuel. The product which previously sold for N897 in Abuja, the nation’s capital, currently sells for N1,030. Our correspondent who visited an NNPC outlet in Maitama observed how motorists queued up to purchase the product amid complaints. At another NNPC station in Gudu, still in Abuja, motorists queued up while waiting for attendants to commence sale. When our reporter asked an attendant if the station was out of stock, she responded saying they had fuel but the management was waiting for the metres…
THE Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri has said he did not direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), to stop running its refineries. The clarification came following reports that Engr. Kamoru Busari, Director of Upstream in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, who represented him at an event in Lagos, said that he directed the company to focus on equity participation in other refineries. However, the minister stated: “My attention has been drawn to statements made by Engr. Kamoru Busari, Director of Upstream in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, who represented me at a recent conference in…
THE Federal Government, through the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, has commenced the process of appointing new Permanent Secretaries to fill vacancies in eight states. A memo from the OHCSF, signed by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, on October 7, 2024, indicated that officials currently undergoing disciplinary procedures were barred from applying for the positions of Permanent Secretaries. The memo stated that the appointment process had been approved by President Bola Tinubu. According to the memo, which was addressed to all ministers, directors of agencies, and other senior officials, eligible…
THE Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced the appointment of Air Commodore Olusola Akinboyewa as the new Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI). Disclosing this in a statement on Tuesday, NAF Deputy Director Public Relations and Information, said the appointment was approved by the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar. Akinboyewa would take over from Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, who has been redeployed to NAF’s Civil-Military Relations Branch, as Director of Coordination and Cooperation. “This strategic realignment is part of the NAF’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its public and community engagement functions, while also…
THE Supreme Court, on Tuesday, fixed October 22 for the hearing of a suit filed by no fewer than 16 state governments challenging the constitutionality of the laws establishing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and two others. A seven-man panel of justice, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, fixed the date after the states were joined as co-plaintiffs and leave granted for consolidation of the case in the suit originally filed by the Kogi State Government through its Attorney General (AG). The states that joined in the suit marked: SC/CV/178/2023 include Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Ogun, Nassarawa, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto,…
THE ruling All Progressives Congress has said it is not losing sleep or threatened by the proposed alliance between the New Nigeria People’s Party’s Rabiu Kwankwaso and Peter Obi of the Labour Party ahead of the 2027 presidential election. In an interview with this newspaper on Monday, the National Publicity Director of the APC, Bala Ibrahim, declared that the touted Obi-Kwankwaso alliance would fail again as it did ahead of the 2023 presidential election. According to him, a lack of trust will always be an issue between Obi and Kwankwaso, and neither of them will be willing to concede their…
JUSTICE Sylvanus Oriji of the High Court in Abuja on Monday, discharged and acquitted former senator who represented Kogi West district in the National Assembly, Dino Melaye, of the charges brought before him by the Federal Government. The legal battle began six years ago. In a post on X, Melaye said Justice Oriji cleared him of two charges of providing false information concerning an alleged assassination attempt on his life in 2017. The initial case regarding the alleged assassination attempt saw delays, including the unfortunate passing of Justice Aromeh Akogu, the judge overseeing the matter, during a cross-over service on…
MINISTER of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, says she is not worried about the planned reshuffling of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) by President Bola Tinubu. The minister was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme monitored by News Point Nigeria. Asked whether she was worried that the President would drop her from his cabinet because of the “controversies” around her person, the minister said, “I don’t think there is a controversy about my person, and I don’t think there is a controversy about my office. What I can tell you is that I campaigned for the…
THE Federal Government has urged Julius Berger (Nig) Plc to accept the N740.7bn approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for completion of the remaining section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway. Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi, said this during a meeting with Julius Berger (Nig.)Plc, represented by its Executive Director, Projects, Engr. Banjamin Bott. He said already, the Federal government has paid N391bn while the new reviewed price means the government will pay an additional N391bn to complete the road. Recall that the minister had earlier said Julius Berger was requesting for the review of the project to N1.35trn. The…
THE Federal Government says 63 items have been exempted from Value-Added Tax (VAT). Taiwo Oyedele, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, disclosed this in a post on X on Friday. He said the exempted items are contained in an official gazette for the ‘Value Added Tax (Modification) Order, 2024,’ dated September 3, 2024. It comes two days after the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, announced the introduction of concessions aimed at revitalising the oil and gas industry to ensure a boost in Nigeria’s upstream and downstream sectors. The…
THERE are indications that the supply of crude oil in naira by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery which should have started on October 1, 2024, has yet to begin as of Thursday, October 3. Officials at the Dangote refinery and those at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Federal Ministry of Finance, and NNPC, among others, stayed mute when contacted for updates on the naira-for-crude deal between NNPC and Dangote. On Monday, this newspaper reported that the Technical Sub-Committee on Domestic Sales of Crude Oil in Local Currency had confirmed the preceding day that…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has saluted the invaluable contribution of the founder of LEADERSHIP newspaper, Late Sam Nda-Isaiah to the development of media in Nigeria. The President made the remark in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President, Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Thursday on the 20th anniversary of the LEADERSHIP Group. According to the statement, President recalls Nda-Isaiah’s invaluable contributions to Nigeria’s vibrant media landscape, from his time as a weekly columnist at Daily Trust newspaper to founding Leadership Confidential and later establishing the Leadership group of newspapers. The President also acknowledges the role of Nda-Isaiah’s wife,…
WANTED bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, has dared the security forces, saying he is not afraid to be killed. He, however, called for dialogue with the federal government to end armed violence in Zamfara State. Turji, who is among the 43 terrorists in the North West declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters, made the call in a five-minute and forty-second video. In the video, Turji confirmed the killing of his boss, Halilu Sububu, saying that Sububu’s killing would not silence him. Turji said that he was willing to lay down his arms if the government would dialogue with him. He said,…