FOLLOWING the tanker explosion at Dikko Junction, Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State on Saturday, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) has put the number of deaths from the incident at 86. According to a press statement issued by NSEMA Director General Abdullahi Baba-Arah, the remains of the deceased were recovered and buried in a coordinated effort by NSEMA, Gurara LGA authorities, and volunteers. Of the deceased, 80 were buried in a mass grave at the Dikko Primary Healthcare (PHC) premises. Five others were handed over to their families for burial within the town, and one individual succumbed…
Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani
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THE Presidency has debunked claims that President Bola Tinubu took some Nigerians to Paris France to testify in favour of the country. Bayo Onanuga, the presidential spokesman, in a statement, on Saturday, stated that the attention of the Presidency was drawn to some fake news on social media about an arbitration proceeding in Paris to which the Nigerian Government is a party. The statement described the private proceeding, as ” entirely confidential” adding that ” it should not have been reported”. It” should not have been reported in the media, is entirely confidential until the international arbitrators decide,” Onanuga said…
THE Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said that the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano dual carriageway will be ready for use in 14 months. Idris made this known at the inauguration of the rehabilitation of section 1 of the road (Abuja to Kaduna) rigid pavement on Thursday. While Section 1 of the road is from Abuja to Kaduna, Section 2 is from Kaduna to Zaria, and Section 3 is from Zaria to Kano. The description and scope of works include scarification and pulverization of existing bituminous surface as sub-base material and filling of embankments. Others are the provision of approved…
NIGERIAN governors have thrown their weight behind the Federal Government’s tax reform bills. But they are proposing a new sharing formula for value-added tax (VAT) opposing the proposed agreement. The decision followed a meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Presidential Tax Reform Committee which was held on Thursday. In a communique at the end of the meeting, the governors’ forum “reiterated its strong support for the comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s archaic tax laws. “Members acknowledged the importance of modernizing the tax system to enhance fiscal stability and align with global best practices”. The governors proposed a revised…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has congratulated six distinguished Diaspora Nigerians named by President Joe Biden among the 400 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in the United States. This prestigious recognition, established by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the highest honour bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. This year’s awardees, announced by President Joe Biden on January 14, 2025, are employed or funded by 14 participating United States government agencies. Tinubu, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga on…
PRESIDENT of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has accepted President Bola Tinubu‘s invitation to visit Nigeria this year. The Nigerian leader invited the Arab President, Wednesday night, during their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2025 President Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday as a guest of the UAE President to participate in the Sustainability Week, a forum for exchanging ideas to support sustainable development worldwide and encourage collective action to address global challenges, such as climate change, water and energy crises. He delivered Nigeria’s position on climate and…
THE Federal Government has reacted to the recent remarks by Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, regarding the economic reforms introduced under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Sanusi, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, had at a public event in Lagos, said “I have decided not to speak about the economy or the reforms, nor to explain anything regarding them. If I explained, it would only help this government, and I don’t want to help this government”. But in a swift response, the Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris said, “We note the emir’s acknowledgement of the noble…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu assured a global audience Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates that Nigeria is ready to work with other nations to build a resilient, equitable, and sustainable world for all. President Tinubu spoke on the second day of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week on “From Climate Imperatives into Economic Prosperity: Bridging Africa with the Global Energy Future. ” The president declared that no single nation can walk the road to sustainability alone, stressing that global interconnectedness demands collective action, knowledge sharing, and mutual support. “The fight against climate change is not merely an environmental necessity but…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinibu has approved the appointment of Folashade Arinola Adekaiyaoja fsi+, fdc, as Deputy Director General for the Service. The approval, the first by any president, has drawn commendation from a large section of serving and retired DSS officers who see the move as aimed at restoring professionalism to the Service. The presidential approval, it was gathered, seeks to revise the agency’s structure for better efficiency, in line with the original onanogram of the service. Checks revealed that the DSS is structured to comprise three Deputy Directors General in its hierarchy. The appointment and ratification by the President,…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has arrived in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates for the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW). Tinubu’s trip to the Middle East is at the invitation of the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, announced Tinubu’s arrival in a post on his X page. He accompanied the post with a short video showing Tinubu’s arrival in the UAE. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where he is received by Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan,…
AMID the ongoing controversy surrounding the proposed tax reform bills by the current administration, the Federal Government and 21 out of the 36 states in the federation have projected a combined Value Added Tax revenue of N2.5 trillion for 2025 in their respective budget estimates. This projection excludes additional funds that may accrue from the implementation of the contentious tax reform bills. VAT, a consumption tax on goods and services, is levied at each stage of the supply chain where value is added. This newspaper previously reported that VAT revenue collected under the current administration increased by N549bn within six…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is set to attend the 2025 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in the United Arab Emirates. Disclosing this in a statement on Friday, presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said the summit will take place from January 12 to 18. Tinubu’s planned trip to the Middle East is at the behest of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “The Summit will bring together global leaders to accelerate sustainable development and advance socioeconomic progress,” the statement read. “The event, ‘The Nexus of Next; Supercharging Sustainable Progress,’ will enable policymakers, business, and…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Thursday urged the government of the People’s Republic of China to increase the $2 billion currency swap between Nigeria and China to enhance trade between the two countries. He also called for an upward review of the $50 billion aid package for Africa, which China’s President Xi Jinping announced last year. China and Nigeria recently renewed their currency swap agreement, valued at 15 billion yuan (approximately $2 billion), to enhance trade and investment. Receiving the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi, at the State House Abuja, the President said increasing the level of currency…
THE Peoples Republic of China has promised to provide one billion Yuan in military grant to Africa to enable the continent tackle its security challenges. This was disclosed by the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, during a joint press conference with his Nigerian counterpart, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday. Yi said it is only through global solidarity and response that security challenges can be brought to an end. “China would like to work with Africa to deliver on the global security initiative and together achieve a modernization featuring peace and security and build…
NASARAWA State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, says the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) can’t do anything about the ministerial nomination ordeal of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai. Sule, who is a member of the PGF, the governors’ forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also said El-Rufai has not left the ruling party despite his rejection as a ministerial nominee by the National Assembly in August 2023. “El-Rufai has not left our party; he is still part of our party,” Sule said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria. “What led to his (El-Rufai’s) nomination,…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after nearly three weeks in Lagos. The Airbus A330 conveying the president and his personal aides arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 10:30pm. Tinubu was received by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and other top security officers. He returned from Accra, Ghana, where he attended the inauguration of President John Mahama earlier on Tuesday. Tinubu also visited Enugu State while he was away from Abuja. On December 18, 2024, the President departed Abuja for Lagos, where he spent the Christmas and New…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has congratulated John Mahama on his swearing-in as Ghana’s president and said Nigeria will support the West African country. Mahama was inaugurated on Tuesday in Accra, marking his return to office years after he served as Ghana’s president. Tinubu who was among world leaders at the event noted his friendship between him and Mahama, pledging Nigeria’s backing for Ghana. “President John Mahama and I share a deep friendship. My dear brother, I am here to work with you,” Tinubu who was a special guest said in his remarks at the event. “You know you can count on…
THE Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Adeola Olamilekan, has affirmed January 31, 2025, as a provisional date for the passage of the 2025 ₦49.7tn budget as the committee prepares to begin budget defence on Tuesday. He made this disclosure on Monday during a meeting with the chairmen of relevant committees on the template for the 2025 Budget Defence Session to guide the budget process towards its eventual signing into law. Olamilekan further revealed that upon the resumption of plenary by the 14th of January 2025, the Senate would immediately commence a two-week break for the seamless continuation of…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on January 6, 2025, for Accra, the capital of Ghana, to attend the inauguration of President-elect John Mahama on January 7, 2025. This was contained in a statement on Sunday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga. Mahama, who served as the 12th president of Ghana between 2011 and 2017, was reelected in December 2024. He will succeed President Nana Akuffo-Addo (2017-2025). Onanuga said, “Tinubu’s trip to Accra is at the invitation of the president-elect, who had visited the Nigerian leader earlier in December. “Mahama and Tinubu have a longstanding personal relationship, just like Nigeria and…
NIGERIA and three other African countries will this month play host to a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi. As part of his yearly routine, the visits to commence on Sunday the 5th of January through January 11, 2025, will also see Yi visit other African countries such as Namibia, the Republic of the Congo, and Chad. This was revealed in a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning on Friday. The planned visits were based on invitations by the countries. This will be…