Author: Farouk Abbas

TO maintain the peace enjoyed in Kotonkarfe and its environs, the Kogi State Government has announced a ban on all forms of procession in Kotonkarfe and neighbouring communities. A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, on Tuesday, said the ban is aimed at curbing plans by some “elements” in the area, to disturb the peace of the ancient town. “His Excellency Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo reiterates his administration’s commitment to peaceful co-existence among all Kotonkarfe people and will always leave his doors open to listen to complaints and grievances rather than resort to violence. “We…

AS the Emirship tussle in Kano continues, the reinstated emir and the deposed one led the Eid el-Kabir prayers in separate prayer grounds in the state on Sunday. While Emir Muhammad Sanusi II led the prayers inside the Kofar Mata Juma’at Mosque alongside Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf due to rain, Emir Aminu Ado Bayero prayed at the Nassarawa Mini Palace Mosque. After the prayer Emir Sanusi II proceeded to Gidan Shettima Palace at Kofar Kwaru were he conducted a mini durbar in defiance to the ban earlier announced by the Kano State Police Command. After praying the two-unit prayers behind…

THE Nigeria Police Force has raised an alarm over alleged irregularities and corruption regarding the recently released names of successful candidates by the Police Service Commission in the 2022/23 Police Constables Recruitment Exercise. A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the list released on the Police Service Commission portal is full of several names of successful candidates who did not even apply and therefore did not take part in the recruitment exercise. According to the statement, the published list contains several names of candidates who failed either the Computer Based Test (CBT), the physical screening…

THE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has extended his warmest congratulations to Muslim Umma in Nigeria on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. A statement by Edwin Olofu,  the Chief Press Secretary to the National Chairman of APC that was made available to newsmen stated that the   “Festival of Sacrifice” is a celebration of faith, obedience, and devotion. Mr Olofu quoted his principal to describe the important festival as a day to commemorate the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to Allah’s…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has called for stronger collaboration between Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies and the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the fight against cybercrime, terrorism, and other related crimes. The FBI is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States of America, and its principal federal law enforcement agency. The President spoke during a meeting with FBI Director, Christopher Asher Wray, at the State House in Abuja. Security chiefs who attended the meeting include the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf…

JUSTICE Liman Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Kano State, has declared that the dethroned Emir, Aminu Ado Bayero has jurisdiction to be heard. The development comes days after a Kano State High Court, ordered substituted service on Bayero and four other emirs in a case filed by the Kano State Government, to restrain them from parading themselves as emirs. More details shortly…

– Court Adjourns To June 27 THE Federal High Court, in Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned arraignment of the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on an alleged money laundering case instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to June 27, following an agreement by the counsels of the two parties. A new date, June 27, had earlier been reportedly fixed for arraignment at the instance of the EFCC counsels. There was, however, a mild drama in court when Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, announced appearance for EFCC and claimed ignorance of the agreement. At the resumed hearing on…

THE Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo has congratulated President Bola Ahmad Tinubu on the occasion of commemoration of this year’s  Democracy Day. According to a statement by the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Adamu Abdullahi, Wednesday, Gwarzo, also congratulated Nigerians as the champions of democracy for commemoration of Nigeria’s freest and widely acclaimed election held on June 12, 1993 and having uninterrupted democracy for good 25 years, adding that, it’s a great milestone for the development of democratic system. He explained that the APC-controlled administration under President Tinubu’s able leadership has recorded landmark…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said the organised labour did not agree on any specific figure as the new minimum wage. NLC was reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s claims that an agreement had been reached on new national minimum wages. Speaking Wednesday during his nationwide broadcast to mark Democracy Day, Tinubu said a consensus had been reached on the long-debated new minimum wage between the Federal Government and organised labour. The president revealed that an executive bill will soon be sent to the National Assembly to formalise the new minimum wage agreement. He emphasised that his administration chose a…

THE National Universities Commission (NUC) has granted full accreditation status on 15 Academic Programmes of Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN), The results of the full accreditation was contained in a letter dated 6th June, 2024 signed by the Acting Director of Accreditation, Engr. Abraham Chundusu on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the commission and conveyed to the President of the University. The accreditation of the Academic Programmes at the Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria was conducted by the NUC between October and November 2023. In the letter conveying the results of the Resource Verification/ Accreditation Program,…

THE Nigerian Police Force has warned against planned demonstrations by certain individuals and groups to hold protests in several parts of the country on Democracy Day. The Force also placed its Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police and State Command Commissioners of Police on red alert, directing that they should “collaborate with other security agencies to ensure robust security arrangements are in place to prevent any breakdown of law and order including strategic deployments to protect key infrastructures and ensure that protests, if any, remain peaceful and lawful.” This warning was contained in a statement on Tuesday by the Force…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will address the nation in a broadcast on the occasion of Democracy Day at 7 am on Wednesday. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this information in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja. The statement read in part, “Television, radio, and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to plug into the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) for the broadcast.” The statement reads in full: STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT TINUBU TO ADDRESS THE NATION ON DEMOCRACY DAY President Bola…

DANGOTE Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals in Lagos State has moved the supply date for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol from June to mid-July. The President and Chief Executive Officer of the refinery, Aliko Dangote, attributed the postponement to slight delay but assured the public that by second to third week in July, the premium commodity would be in the market. Dangote spoke when he received a Senate delegation led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, on a tour of the $20 billion facility in Lagos on Sunday. He said, “We had a bit of delay but PMS will…

THE Federal Government has declared Wednesday, June 12, 2024 as a public holiday to mark this year’s Democracy Day. In a statement on Tuesday, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated Nigerians on the occasion. He said, “As we mark another Democracy day in the history of our dear country, let us all reflect on the efforts of our founding fathers and ensure that Nigeria remains a united, secured, peaceful and indivisible entity”. He urged Nigerians to remain steadfast on the tenets of democratic governance. Tunji-Ojo reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Hashimu Argungu, as the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC). Argungu replaces former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, who was appointed to the position by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2023. The appointment of Argungu was disclosed in a statement by the media aide to President Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelale, on Monday. According to the statement, the President also appointed of Chief Onyemuche Nnamani as Secretary of the Commission and DIG Taiwo Lakanu (Rtd) as Member. Noting that the appointments are subject to confirmation by the Senate,…

THE President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has graciously contributed a substantial donation of commodities, totaling 2,706  metric tons, to the Kano state government for dissemination among the vulnerable individuals. The President conveyed the goods through the auspices of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), encompassing essentials such as maize, millet, sorghum, and garri. During the occasion held in Kano, the Director General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, representing the Federal Government, delivered the presentation, emphasizing that this act aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to mitigating the repercussions of the current economic downturn. Within this allocation, Kano State has been apportioned…

A GROUP of lawmakers in the House of Representatives, on Monday, proposed some amendments to the 1999 Constitution which they believe will improve governance in the country. The group led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, member representing Ideato Federal Constituency, proposed a six-year single tenure for the President and the 36 state governors. The group, the Reform Minded Legislators, said its proposals on the political and electoral reform bills going for second reading would help reduce the cost of governance and campaigns, unite the country, ensure a seamless transition, continuity, uninterrupted development, justice, equity, independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),…

THE Organised Labour said the one-week grace period given to the Federal Government last Tuesday, June 4, 2024, would expire by the midnight of Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Labour said should the Federal Government and National Assembly fail to act on the demands of workers by tomorrow (Tuesday), the organs of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) would meet to decide on the resumption of the nation wide strike relaxed last week. Chris Onyeka, an Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, stated this on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief show on Monday monitored by News…

JUSTICE Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, June 7, 2024 ordered the final forfeiture of every asset of NOK University, Gwasmyen Water Factory, Gwasmyen Event Center and Gwasmyen International Hotel in Kaduna State. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, through its counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, filed an order of final forfeiture of the said properties pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and Section 44(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The anti-graft agency stated that Iheanacho, through diligent submission…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission have revealed that the Kaduna State House of Assembly was yet to report the alleged N423billion money laundering allegedly committed during the administration of former Governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai. Recall that the state Assembly had in April set up a 13-man panel, headed by the Deputy Speaker, Henry Danjuma, to probe El-Rufai’s administration over allegations of wanton misappropriation of the state funds. The ad-hoc committee was mandated to investigate all finances, loans and contracts awarded under the former governor. The probe by…