THE senator representing Kano South Sumaila Kawu has accused ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of introducing corruption to the National Assembly. Obasanjo had last week accused the lawmakers of fixing their salaries and allowances amid the biting economic hardship in Nigeria. But Kawu, who has been in the news recently over his comment about what the federal lawmakers receive, faulted Obasanjo’s remark. “When you are talking about corruption, it is Obasanjo who introduced corruption into the National Assembly,” Senator Kawu said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sport doubled down on his…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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THE Defence Headquarters has said troops have been deployed across farms in the northern parts of the country, especially in the North West and North Central. According to the military high command, the deployment was to ensure the adequate protection of farmers from bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements. This newspaper reports that farmers have been a major target for bandits and terrorists who levied them indiscriminately, destroyed their produce, kidnapped and even killed them in some instances. According to a tally by our correspondent, in the first quarter of this year, over 332 farmers were killed across the country.…
THE Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) says each of the 109 senators occupying legislative seats in the red chamber earns ₦1,063,860 salary and allowances per month. The commission gave the breakdown of the salary and allowances of each senator as: Basic Salary – ₦168,866:70; Motor Vehicle Fuelling and Maintenance Allowance – ₦126,650:00; Personal Assistant – ₦42,216:66; Domestic Staff -₦126,650:00; Entertainment – ₦50,660:00; Utilities – ₦50,660:00; Newspapers/Periodicals – ₦25,330:00; Wardrobe – ₦42,216,66:00; House Maintenance – ₦8,443.33:00 and Constituency Allowance – ₦422,166:66; respectively. RMAFC chair M. B. Shehu, in a statement on Tuesday, made the clarification “in view of the…
THE first Nigeria’s Franco-British University, which is both British and French in academic style, Franco-British International University, Kaduna, will kick-start academic activities in October 2024. This was revealed in a chat with journalists by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Abdullahi Muhammad Sabo, on Monday. According to the Vice-Chancellor, the university will start with three schools, namely; Schools of Computing, Nursing, and Health Sciences. Franco-British International University was founded by Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, who is also the founder of Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN) in Niger Republic and Canadian University in Abuja. Also, the founder, Professor…
THE Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, has met with key stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), to sell crude oil to local refineries in naira. Those in attendance included the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Lydia Jafiya. Disclosing this in a post on its official X page, the Finance Ministry said the meeting…
THE Kano State Police Command said on Monday it had transferred the 76 suspects arrested for flying Russian flags, including a foreigner to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, for discreet investigation on charges of sedition not treason. The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, Salman Garba, disclosed this on Monday while giving an update on the suspects arrested during the nationwide hunger protest that turned violent in the North. Garba said the press conference was “to provide a comprehensive update on the recent violent incidents that resulted in wanton destruction and looting of government and public properties in Kano State instigated…
– Say, Court Cases Are Won With Evidence, Not Sentiments, Propaganda CIVIL Society Organisations, INEC accredited observers in the November 11, 2023 Kogi governorship election as well as indigenous people of the state have raised concerns over what they described as mindless blackmail and “propaganda taken too far” by the Social Democratic Party and its candidate, Muritala Ajaka, aimed at putting undue pressure on the Judiciary. According to them, the needless attacks on the Judiciary after every judgement, shows crass ignorance on the part of both the SDP and its candidate, “who are not being properly guided by their lawyers…
SEVERAL state Police Commands in the northern part of the country have begun the prosecution of arrested protesters during the 10-day #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria nationwide protest. While the protests were relatively peaceful in the South, it turned violent in the North with several lives lost, property worth billions of naira destroyed, leading to the declaration of curfew in no fewer than five states. The protests, which held from August 1-10, was against the rising cost of living, which has been fueled by fuel subsidy removal, surging inflation at a 28-year high and government economic policies that pushed the naira to a record…
MULTI-BILLION-NAIRA worth of cocaine concealed in heavy-duty automobile pivot shafts and Ghanaian fabric, Kente, among others have been recovered in a nationwide intelligence-led operation by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. A statement by the Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, said while 2.32 kilograms of cocaine concealed in Ghanaian traditional kente materials going to the United Kingdom were intercepted at a courier firm in Lagos on Monday 5th August 2024, 10.494kg of same class A drug buried in heavy duty pivot shafts heading to the United States, were recovered at the same logistics company…
THE Federal Government through the Ministry of Works has directed an immediate assessment of Section 111 of the Kano-Maiduguri Road, cut off by a recent flood in Bauchi state. A technical team from the ministry will evaluate the damage and provide emergency solutions to ease the suffering of the Malori-Guskuri community. This was contained in a Saturday statement by the ministry. It stated that during a meeting with contractors, the Minister of Works Dave Umahi stressed the need for timely completion of projects funded by the tax credit scheme and disclosed the termination of Section 1 of the Kano-Maiduguri Road…
FORMER governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has said that he is bothered by the emirship tussle in Kano State, but does not want to meddle in it. The former governor, who was featured on Channels TV’s Politics Today, blamed the crisis on politicians, hoping it would be resolved soon. He said, “I am a very senior member of the emirate council and apart from that I governed the state. “So, I am a very senior citizen of the state. The day the matter went to court, I say I will not discuss or interfere no matter what. “This…
HUNDREDS of policemen and security operatives have been deployed in major cities across the country as organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protest prepare for a one million-man march today, this newspaper learned. The protest, scheduled to last for 10 days and expected to climax today, has been marred by killings and attacks on protesters and journalists. The nationwide protesters are demanding a reversal of the fuel subsidy removal, an increase in the minimum wage to N250,000, and an end to bad governance, among other issues. Although the protest appeared to have lost steam in some parts of the country, momentum was…
A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Kaduna State has declined jurisdiction in the fundamental rights suit filed by the immediate past Governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai, against the state House of Assembly. The court sat via Zoom on Monday, July 2024, during which the presiding judge, Justice R.M Aikawa took motions from the applicants on Monday, July 29, 2024. However, in two separate rulings which he delivered virtually on July 30th, Justice R.M Aikawa, held that the applicant failed to prove any circumstances that would warrant setting aside the court proceedings as requested by the applicant. Therefore, the court…
THE Federal Government has taken delivery of 60 locally assembled Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) hybrid buses. Revealed in a post through its official X handle on Thursday, the buses were delivered by Jet Motor Company under the Presidential CNG Initiative. According to the statement, the development is in continuation of efforts to provide affordable and comfortable transport solutions for Nigerians. The vehicles were handed over to a team comprising the Ministry of Finance and representatives of the Presidential Initiative on CNG (Pi-CNG) at the company’s car manufacturing plant in Ajah, Lagos State. President Bola Tinubu’s national broadcast during the #EndBadGovernance…
THE Federal Government has announced plans to review the merger of federal technical colleges and science schools in the country to unbundle them. The Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, disclosed this at a one-day stakeholders’ meeting on the Challenges and Issues Affecting Technical Colleges in the country. Mamman expressed displeasure over the merging of technical colleges with colleges of science, says it eroded the gains of establishing technical colleges across the country. He explained that technical colleges ought to be strictly for pupils with an interest in technical education. The minister emphasised that those who want to do science…
BAUCHI State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s nationwide address to Nigerians in the wake of the #EndBadGovernance protest. In his speech on Sunday, Tinubu called on protesters to cease their demonstrations and open room for dialogue saying there was no going back on the removal of fuel subsidy. But speaking on Wednesday during the flag-off of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign for the local government election in Bauchi, Mohammed said the Federal Government should stop giving excuses to Nigerians. “I listened to Mr President’s speech with rapt attention and with all humility and courage that what…
THE Federal Government disbursed a total of N1.03tn to boost the fight against insecurity and terrorism between January and June 2024. In the budget implementation report for the first half of 2024 obtained by our correspondent through Open Treasury, a website that monitors government spending, the amount represents a disbursement rate of 42.80 per cent from its appropriation of N2.41tn and a balance of N1.38tn. Despite this spending, no fewer than 5,801 Nigerians were killed in terrorist attacks, and 4,348 citizens were abducted in the first seven months of 2024, Findings by this newspaper showed. Data sourced from an Indigenous…
AUTHORITIES of the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) have placed sponsors of nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest on its watchlist. Comptroller-General of NIS, Kemi Nandap, who disclosed this at Defence Headquarters, Abuja on Tuesday, said these persons who are in the diaspora would be arrested immediately they step their legs on Nigerian soil. She spoke shortly after a strategic meeting convened by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa. This newspaper had earlier reported that the Defence Chief and other heads of intelligence agencies as well as other heads of para-military agencies were in a closed-door with a view to implementing the…
THE senator representing Borno South at the National Assembly, Mohammed Ali Ndume, is currently meeting with the national chairman of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. The meeting is taking place at the APC national secretariat in Abuja. Senator Ndume was recently stripped of his position as Chief Whip of the Senate for criticising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration over the rising hunger in the country. This followed a letter signed by Ganduje, APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, and transmitted to the Senate Caucus of the party which was read by the Senate President…
THE Media Office of former Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has stated that plan has been uncovered to wrongfully label him a security threat. The Media Office made this known in a press statement signed by Ohiare Michael for Bello’s Media Office on Tuesday. The statement read, “We have uncovered a high-wired plan by some disgruntled enemies of the nation and persons on the Project Bring Down Yahaya Bello, to frame him up as one of the sponsors of the #EndBadGovernance protests across the country. “We wouldn’t have bothered to respond to a clout-chasing blackmailer and blackmail pawn, a…