Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Monday night in Abuja, called on political leaders in the country to channel more resources and policies toward catering to the needs of the poor and vulnerable. The President, who hosted governors, members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), Service Chiefs, and some selected Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to break the Ramadan fast at the State House, in a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, urged leaders to be selfless and work for the people’s benefit marking the first such gathering of the Ramadan season. Among the notable attendees were Rivers Governor Sim…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Attahiru Jega, as special adviser and coordinator of Presidential Livestock Reforms. Jega’s appointment was announced in a statement by the Special Adviser to Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga in a post on X on Friday night. Jega was the INEC chairman chairman between 2010 to 2015. Onanuga wrote, “President Bola Tinubu appoints Professor Attahiru Jega as Presidential adviser and coordinator of Presidential Livestock Reforms.” In July, Tinubu created a new ministry called the Ministry of Livestock Development. The ministry was mandated to provide…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed six Chief Medical Directors for Federal Government-owned hospitals in Akure, Gombe, Azare, Lafia, Maiduguri and Kafanchan. Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Friday titled ‘President Tinubu appoints six chief medical directors for federal hospitals.’ The newly appointed CMDs include Prof. Olusegun Ojo who has been appointed Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Akure, Ondo State. The presidency described Ojo as a “seasoned medical professional who previously served as the pioneer Chief Medical Director of the Ondo State Specialist Hospital.” Prof. Yusuf Abdullahi…

THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved ₦10.299 billion for the procurement of essential medical commodities, including diabetes diagnostic kits, antiretroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS patients, antibiotics, and hypertensive medications. The move aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to improving healthcare accessibility and affordability for Nigerians. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, announced the approvals while addressing journalists at the State House, Abuja on Wednesday after the FEC meeting, which was presided over by the President Tinubu. According to Pate, the intervention targets critical areas of healthcare, ensuring that Nigerians—particularly the poor and vulnerable—can access essential…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo on his 88th birthday as “controversial” while eulogising the latter’s contributions to nation-building. Tinubu in a statement signed on Wednesday, also described the former statesman as an “extraordinary leader ” whose contributions to Nigeria’s development remain indelible. According to Tinubu, Obasanjo’s regular interventions in national affairs, although sometimes controversial, have helped shape public policies and put leaders in check. “Sometimes controversial, former President Obasanjo’s regular interventions in national affairs have helped shape public policies and acted as a check on leadership. “At 88, the former president is still gaining strength. I…

THE Federal Government on Tuesday launched a new revenue platform, the Treasury Management and Revenue Assurance (TMRAS). In a statement on Tuesday, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) said despite the launch of the new payment platform, the Remita platform, known as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approved payment gateway, would still be operational. The statement signed by a spokesperson for the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, said that Remita would be integrated into the TMRAS alongside other eligible Payment Solution Service Providers (PSSPs) for government revenue collection and remittances to enhance liberalisation. The Office said the…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Shamsedeen Ogunjimi as the new Accountant General of the Federation. The appointment, announced on Tuesday, takes effect on March 7, 2025, coinciding with the retirement of the incumbent AGF, Oluwatoyin Madehin. Ogunjimi, 57, was first named as Madehin’s successor in December 2024. His selection was finalised after a competitive process overseen by a committee tasked with evaluating Directors of Accounts in the Federal Civil Service. The process included a written assessment, an ICT proficiency test, and oral interviews, underscoring Tinubu’s commitment to transparency and excellence in public appointments. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved provisional licences for 11 new private universities in Nigeria. According to a statement on X by the President’s Special Adviser on Media & Public Communication, Sunday Dare, Tinubu granted the approvals during the Federal Executive Council meeting on Monday. Below is the list of the newly approved private universities: 1 – New City University, Ayetoro, Ogun State 2 – University of Fortune, Igbotako, Ondo State 3 – Eranova University, Mabushi, Abuja 4 – Minaret University, Ikirun, Osun State 5 – Abubakar Toyin University, Oke-Agba, Kwara State 6 – Southern Atlantic University, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is meeting with his Sierra Leonean counterpart, Julius Bio, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. Bio arrived at the forecourt of the Villa at 12:22 pm Monday in the company of the bagpipers of the Presidential Guards Brigade. He was received by the President’s Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, who ushered him into the closed-door meeting. Nigeria and Sierra Leone have maintained strong diplomatic relations since their respective independences in October 1960 and April 1961. Both nations are active members of the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union and have collaborated…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Friday, said the federal government revenue has increased to N21.63 trillion, while reducing budget deficit to 4.127%, from 6.2%, in 2023. The President, who stated this while signing the N54.99trillion 2025 budget into law, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said his administration achieved the results through strong fiscal discipline. He noted that the 2025 budget, will ensure transformation, empowerment of the people and building a resilient future, for Nigerians. “We affirm our commitment to securing the future, rebuilding prosperity and ensuring that every Nigerian shares in the dividends of governance,” he said. “The past year tested…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has signed into law the N54.99tn 2025 Appropriation Bill. Tinubu signed the budget in the presence of principal officers of the National Assembly and other top government officials in a small ceremony in his office at the State House, Abuja, on Friday. The bill was passed by the two Chambers of the National Assembly on Thursday, February 13, after Tinubu asked for an increase from the proposed N49.7tn. The National Assembly approved a ₦54.99 trillion ($36.6bn) budget for the fiscal year, surpassing President Bola Tinubu’s initial proposal of ₦54.2tn. This increase reflects additional anticipated revenues from agencies…

A WIDESPREAD electricity blackout caused by technical faults in some feeders owned by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company has affected at least 53 locations, including the Presidential Villa. The technical fault affecting the power supply to some parts of the city in the Abuja metropolis impacted transmission to the R4 Injection Sub Station at Three Arm Zone, Aso Drive, which supplies power to the Presidential Villa, the seat of power. The AEDC made this known in an announcement posted on its official X handle on Friday and appealed to its customers to be patient while its engineers “work tirelessly to…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday promised to work harder for the country after the vote of confidence passed in him by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). “I am happy with your vote of confidence, and I accept it. “It is a challenge to do more work; we will vigorously pursue our sovereignty in food security, investment and development,” he told party leaders. The 13th NEC meeting at the party’s National Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) was preceded by the National Caucus meeting on Tuesday night hosted at the State House by the…

LEADERS of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have converged at the National Secretariat of the party for its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in the nation’s capital, Abuja. All roads leading to the venue of the meeting on Blantyre Street have been cordoned off by a combined team of armed security men including soldiers from the Guards Brigade. Vehicular and human movements on Blantyre Street have also been restricted just as journalists are kept outside despite the release of an accredited list of reporters this morning by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka. Some early arrivals…

FORMER Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has demanded the withdrawal of Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja from his ongoing trial over alleged $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud. Emefiele’s legal team, led by Olalekan Ojo (SAN), accused the judge of bias and urged him to recuse himself from further proceedings. The request was made during Monday’s hearing at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos. Justice Oshodi adjourned the matter till February 26, 2025, to rule on whether he will withdraw from the case. Emefiele is facing 19 counts bordering on…

NIGERIA took a step closer on Monday to conducting a new national population and housing census with biometric and digital components. The nation last held a census in November 2006. President Bola Tinubu, at a meeting at the Statehouse with officials of the National Population Commission (NPC), said he would set up a committee to align the census budget to the government’s present financial realities. He said the National Identity Management Commission(NIMC) must be part of the review. “We must ascertain who we are, how many we are, and how to manage our data. Without an accurate census, we can’t…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has given his assent to bills establishing two new federal universities. The institutions are the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin Ekiti, and the Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies, Iragbiji, Osun State. The announcement was made by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, following the signing of the two legislations at the State House, Abuja, on Thursday. The Senate had passed both bills—sponsored by Bamidele in 2023 and 2024—before securing concurrence from the House of Representatives and eventual presidential approval. In a statement released on Thursday, titled “NASS Secures Presidential Assent to Federal Universities…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr. Danjuma Adamu Ismaila as the Rector and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria. This was contained in a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Dr. Ismaila, a seasoned expert in air transportation management, transport economic policy, and aviation security, brings extensive experience to the leadership of the country’s premier aviation training institution. A graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he earned a degree in Physics in 1989 before furthering his expertise with a Postgraduate Diploma in Transportation. Over the…

THE Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has described the illegal dissolution and taking over of local government administration by state governors as a treasonable offence. Fagbemi stated this on Wednesday during the opening ceremony of an event organised by the Nigeria Bar Association in Abuja. Represented by the Director of Civil Appeals in the ministry, Tijani Gazali, the AGF noted that despite the judgment of the Supreme Court and the provision of the constitution guarding against the interference of state governors in the running of local government councils, some governors and their state assemblies continue dissolving elected…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has felicitated with former Kaduna State Governor, on his 65th birthday, eulogising his resourcefulness and brilliance. Tinubu in a statement on Sunday by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, described El-Rufai as an administrator, scholar, and politician. The President commended El-Rufai for his “endeavours for democracy; his meritorious service to the nation, and mentorship of the younger generation.” He acknowledged Mallam El-Rufai’s “role in the dialogues leading up to the formation of the APC and his contributions to the success of the party in the three consecutive elections of 2015, 2019, and 2023.” “President Tinubu wishes El-Rufai good health…