THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a Nigeria First economic policy targeted at prioritising the use of locally manufactured goods and services in all government procurements. Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said this on Monday after the FEC meeting in Abuja. Mohammed said the policy would soon be backed by an executive order. “This policy means Nigeria comes first in all procurement processes; no foreign goods or devices that are already being produced locally will be procured without a clear and justified reason,” the minister said while briefing correspondents at the State House. “Now this…
Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani
THE Presidency has stated that the recent defections of opposition politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were voluntary and not under any form of duress, as has been speculated in some quarters. Denying accusations of a one-party state, the Presidency insisted that democracy is not under threat or undermined “simply because politicians exercise their rights of association.” This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday. “Nigerians migrating to the APC and expressing support for Tinubu are doing so out of their free will,…
THE national economic council (NEC) postponed discussions on creating state police for the third time, blaming time constraints from lengthy presentations at its Thursday meeting. Vice-President Kashim Shettima chaired the council meeting at the State House in Abuja, with state governors attending, including Ibok-Ete Ibas, sole administrator of Rivers. Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), and Yemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), also joined the meeting. Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa, told reporters afterwards that state police appeared on the agenda, but time ran out before they could address it. “For your information,…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed an immediate overhaul of national security strategies, demanding urgent action to end the escalating violence in Borno, Benue, Plateau and Kwara states. This directive was contained in a statement signed on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President, Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, where he condemned the senseless targeting of innocent Nigerians. The President, who met with security chiefs at the State House in Abuja for more than two hours, said the killing of innocent people in Borno, Benue and Plateau States must cease. “Enough is enough,” President Tinubu told his service chiefs during…
PASSENGERS at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, have expressed worry as workers of the Nigeria Meteorology Agency (NiMet) vowed to embark on a nationwide indefinite strike from midnight on Tuesday. The development, according to operators and experts in the sector, could lead to flight disruption across the country should the strike linger. While some passengers are confused about when the strike would begin, many are already jittery about boarding an aircraft. In a letter obtained by this newspaper, the Union of Air Transport Employees, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, and the Amalgamated…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has arrived in Nigeria following his two-week working visit to France and the UK. Tinubu was received by senior officials of his administration when he arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, late Monday. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returns to Abuja after a visit to Paris and London,” presidential aide Dada Olusegun wrote in a post on his X handle. Some of the officials who were at the airport to welcome Tinubu included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume; the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu paid a heartfelt tribute to Pope Francis, joining Catholics and Christians around the world in mourning his passing. In an emotional statement, President Tinubu described the pontiff as “a humble servant of God” and “a tireless champion of the poor,” highlighting his legacy of compassion, and bridge-building across faiths. The president reflected on the symbolic timing of the Pope’s death—just after Easter—as a sacred return to his Maker and called on Nigerians and the global community to honour the Pope not just in words, but through acts of mercy, justice, and unity. See full statement below:…
THE Presidency has reacted to criticism trailing the absence of President President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the country, saying though outside the shores of the country, he is closely monitoring developments in the country. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said this in a statement he issued on Thursday. Amid killings and widespread kidnap, opposition leaders have asked Tinubu to return home immediately. Both Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who were Tinubu’s keen rivals in the 2023 elections, said the president’s continuous stay overseas was unjustifiable. But Onanuga defended his principal, saying the President “remains…
PRESIDENTIAL aide Daniel Bwala says contrary to social media speculations, President Bola Tinubu is not in France for medical treatment. “Sometimes on social media, somebody will be tweeting, you don’t even know who the person is; it can be somebody who has mental health somewhere. You just see that information is coming out. “The president did not go to see a doctor; he’s on a working visit and we have been publishing his activities,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics monitored by News Point Nigeria. Tinubu left Nigeria on April 2, 2025 for for Paris, France on a short…
AS part of his engagements in Paris, President Bola Tinubu has met with the United States State Department Senior Advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos. Boulos, an American of Lebanese-Nigerian descent, is also US President Donald Trump’s in-law. His son Michael Boulos is married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany. In a Friday post on X, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed the meeting occurred on Thursday. He said the high-level discussions focused on regional security, including working together with partners to build a durable peace in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and economic cooperation across the African…
THE Presidency has apologised for the errors in the list of appointments made by President Bola Tinubu since May 29, 2023. This newspaper reports that the list was to counter the narrative about Tinubu’s alleged lopsided appointments, which was brought to the public by the Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume. In a recent interview with Arise Television, Ndume, an All Progressives Congress lawmaker, accused the President of violating the federal character principle in his appointments, which the presidency denied. To counter the allegation, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, on Wednesday released…
THE Presidency has responded to recent criticisms by Senator Ali Ndume over alleged lopsided political appointments under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, accusing the Borno South lawmaker of hypocrisy and misinformation. In a statement by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to the president, on Tuesday, the Presidency dismissed Ndume’s claims made during an Arise News interview as “selective perception” and “headline-chasing,” noting that key appointments under the current administration include individuals from the senator’s own region. “Senator Ali Ndume’s latest outburst on TV about so-called ‘lopsided appointments’ by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reeks of hypocrisy and selective…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved Nasir Naeem Abdulsalam’s appointment as the Managing Director of Ajaokuta Steel Company. Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, disclosed this in a statement issued Friday night in Abuja. He said, “The appointment takes effect from 3rd April 2025 and is in accordance with the provisions of the Certain Political and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Act 2008 as amended. “Until his appointment, Nasir served as the Technical Adviser to the Honourable Minister of Steel Development as well as the…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Ayo Sotinrin as the new Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), with immediate effect. The appointment was confirmed in a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Sotinrin, a seasoned finance and agribusiness expert, brings a wealth of experience from both the private and public sectors. Before his appointment, he served as the Group Chief Executive Officer at SAO Group, where he spearheaded several groundbreaking agricultural projects, including the development of a 20,000-hectare oil palm plantation and large-scale poultry, aquaculture, maize, and cassava…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has expressed deep grief over the passing of Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, the Galadiman Kano and a senior kingmaker in the Kano Emirate. Sanusi, who died at 92 after a prolonged illness, is survived by many children and grandchildren, as stated by Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s spokesman, on Wednesday. Among his children is Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, the Kano State chairman of the All Progressives Congress. President Tinubu described the late Sanusi as a significant pillar of the traditional institution, whose contributions to its survival and development would be remembered beyond the Kano Emirate and the state itself.…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart for Paris, France, on Wednesday on a short working visit, the Presidency has revealed. A statement signed by Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said that during the visit, the President will appraise his administration’s mid-term performance and assess key milestones. He added that Tinubu will also use the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary. “This period of reflection will inform plans to deepen ongoing reforms and accelerate national development priorities in the coming year. “Recent economic strides reinforce the President’s commitment to…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari to replace Mele Kyari as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited group chief executive officer (CEO). Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement early Wednesday, said Tinubu also sacked the NNPCL board chairman Chief Pius Akinyelure who was replaced by Ahmadu Musa Kida. Tinubu removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023. “The new 11-man board has Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman,” Onanuga said. Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the chief financial…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved an extension of Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap’s tenure as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). Mrs Nandap began her career in the Nigeria Immigration Service on October 9, 1989. President Tinubu appointed her as Comptroller-General on March 1, 2024, to serve till August 31, 2025. But in a statement on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said due to the progress Immigration has recorded under Nandap leadership, the president has approved an extension of her tenure till December 31, 2026. He said under her, Nigeria Immigration…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Sunday narrated how he threatened to sack Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, over development projects in the FCT and thier impact on his political success in 2027. Tinubu, speaking during the Sallah homage, by the FCT Minister and top government officials at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, President Tinubu recalled his conversation with the FCT Minister, when he requested that the FCT be taken out of the Treasury Single Account TSA. Tinubu, who commended the FCT Minister for the success recorded in the city, said ” It is nothing other than a…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe as Chairman of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). This was revealed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday. The appointment of the former Kwara Central Senator will be for an initial term of four years. The communique also stated that Oloriegbe’s appointment took effect on March 11, 2025. Oloriegbe represented the Kwara Central Senatorial District at the 9th Senate of the National Assembly. ”He holds a Master’s in Coaching and Consultation from the University of Oxford, UK, and HEC,…