THE Federal Government, under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, disbursed a total sum of N14.77bn for the repair and maintenance of the presidential air fleet in 11 months, this newspaper can confirm. The payments, made in 11 tranches between 16th July 2023 and 25th May 2024, were processed through the State House headquarters transit account labelled, ‘Presidential Air Fleet Transit Funds’. This new development comes amidst plans by the National Assembly to approve the purchase of two new aircraft, after it was discovered that the President’s 19-year-old Boeing 737 and some of the other aircraft in the fleet, were…
Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani
THE Federal Government has begun the proposed audit of the N2.7tn fuel subsidy claim by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, this newspaper gathered An audit firm, KPMG had conducted an initial audit reducing the claims from N6tn to N2.7tn. However, in the new audit, the government said it had approved the engagement of the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation to verify the claims made by the corporation regarding the amount the government owes the oil firm. This process was confirmed by the Director, Home Finance, Ali Mohammed, during the April 2024 Federal Account Allocation Committee meeting.…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa have held a bilateral talk following the latter’s swearing-in ceremony. Tinubu held a private meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday. Tinubu has been in South Africa since Tuesday to attend the inauguration of Ramaphosa who was recently elected for a second term in office. Presidential Spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed that before the closed door meeting, which was held at Radisson Blu Hotel in Johannesburg, President Ramaphosa thanked President Tinubu for honouring the invitation to attend his inauguration. “Thank you so much for coming for the…
DR Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, HOCSF, said the recent physical verification exercise by her.office, exposed workers living abroad but still earning salaries from the service. Mr Yemi-Esan revealed this during a chat with media executives on Wednesday in Abuja, being part of activities to mark 2024 Civil Service Week. The theme for 2024 celebration is ‘Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality and Relevant Learning in Africa’. The HoCSF said many of the civil servants, who were caught up in their games,…
THE sum of $6,230,000 allegedly stolen from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on February 8, 2023, was shared and invested into real estate, according to court documents. The $6.2 million, according to the special presidential investigative team, led by Jim Obaze, that probed the tenure of the immediate past CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, was removed from the apex bank’s vault under the guise of paying election observers. Emefiele is standing trial on an alleged 20-count amended charge, preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was alleged to have engaged in criminal breach of trust,…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu says it is imperative for Nigerians to have a change of value system if the nation is to make progress. The President spoke in Lagos when he received a delegation from the National Assembly who came to felicitate with him on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir on Monday evening. The delegation, led by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, included the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Benjamin Kalu, among others. “Good economics at a harsh time is the challenge that we must face. As I said in…
THE Federal Government through the Nigerian Customs Service has begun a fresh move to clamp down on operators of improperly imported private jets into the country, findings by this newspaper revealed. Consequently, no fewer than 80 operators of private jets are expected to appear at the headquarters of the NCS in Abuja with their aircraft import documents. The special aircraft import verification exercise, which begins on Wednesday (tomorrow), is expected to last for 30 days, according to a public notice issued by Customs. The notice, sighted by one of our correspondents, read in part, “The Nigeria Customs Service announces a…
THE Presidency, on Sunday, insisted that the N250,000 minimum wage clamour by Organised Labour is unsustainable, warning that the Federal Government cannot channeled all its resources to meet such a demand. The warning comes two days after the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria raised concerns over the N62,000 being proposed by the FG. The ALGON said if approved, the wage may put a strain on the councils’ financial burden. On Tuesday, May 28, talks between the Federal Government and Organised Labour broke down after the government and the Organised Private Sector raised their offers to N62,000. But the labour…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Mr. Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). This was disclosed in a statement released by the President’s media aide, Ajuri Ngelale, on Saturday. He said the President expects the new Director-General to bring his vast experience and competence to bear in this role to strengthen the agency as the national resource centre for capacity building and sustenance of reforms through the promotion of a competitive private sector-driven economy. He is also expected to ensure social accountability and efficient deployment of public resources, as well as advancing effective corporate…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu felicitates with the Muslims on celebrating the 2024 Eid-el-Kabir, saying it denotes sacrifice, faith and obedience to the will of the Almighty. Tinubu urged the Muslim faithful to reflect on the essence of the occasion while he prayed that Allah accept their supplications and acts of obedience. This was contained in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale. He also said the sacrifices and great expectations of citizens will not come to nought. The statement reads, “President Bola Tinubu celebrates with the Muslim Ummah on the joyous occasion of Eid-el-Kabir, an…
THE controversies and series of serious allegations hanging on the neck of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Ibrahim Lamuwa, have taken a different dimension. Recall that the Perm Sec had been in the eye of the storm for days over allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by one Simisola Fajemirokun-Ajayi who is said to be an aide to the minister. The lady wrote a petition to the minister which forced the latter to equally write to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, to probe the allegation. Consequently, the Head of…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja, the nation’s capital, for Lagos State, on Friday, ahead of Eid-Al-Kabir. Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement, said the President will mark the occasion with prayers and reflection. According to Ngelale, the President will observe Eid-el-Kabir in Lagos, where he will also spend the Sallah holidays. “The President will mark the occasion in prayers and reflection on advancing the transformation of Nigeria in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda.”
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Tanimu Yakubu as the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Thursday. According to the statement, “the President expects the new Director-General of this pivotal agency to further enhance the provision of efficient and qualitative budget functions, with a view to promoting fiscal sustainability, transparency, and accountability in public finance management for national development.” See full statement below: PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE BUDGET OFFICE OF THE FEDERATION President…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu says he will approve the government can afford as the new minimum wage for workers in the country. He stated this on Wednesday at a dinner to mark Nigeria’s 25 years of unbroken Democracy in Abuja. The President appreciated those who stood by him over the years and promised Nigerians that he won’t depart from the tenets of democratic governance. “I have to celebrate with you my dear brother, Senate President, Deputy Senate President,” he said, adding that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and his deputy, Jibrin Barau would soon get an Executive Bill from him on the…
THE Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, has been suspended by the Office of the Head of Service over sexual harassment allegation. The Head of Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, said the permanent secretary would be on suspension pending the outcome of an immediate probe into the allegation against him. “The permanent secretary has been suspended pending the outcome of the probe by the committee set up, “ a senior director in the OHCSF told our correspondent in Abuja. It was learnt that following a petition submitted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, against Lamuwa,…
THE Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu has defended his principal’s slip, saying the Nigerian leader is only “human like all of us”. Tinubu missed a step while climbing the parade vehicle at Eagle Square in Abuja during an event for the 2024 Democracy Day. But he quickly regained his balance and continued with the activities for the day. The move triggered an outpour of reactions from Nigerians especially on social media. “President Tinubu is not a Superman. He is human like all of us. President Biden has had several slips in the last three years.…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has assured the Organised Labour that a an executive bill on the new national minimum wage for workers will soon be sent to the National Assembly for passage. Tinubu made this known on Wednesday in his second Democracy Day speech on June 12, 2024. “In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organized labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less,” the…
TEXT OF PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU’S NATIONAL BROADCAST ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNBROKEN DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA, DEMOCRACY DAY 12TH JUNE 2024. 1. My fellow Nigerians, let me begin by congratulating all of us for witnessing the celebration of another Democracy Day today, the 12th day of June 2024. This year also marks our nation’s 25 years of uninterrupted democratic governance. 2. On this day, 31 years ago, we entered our rites of passage to becoming a true and enduring democratic society. 3. Going through this passage was hard and dangerous. During the fateful six years that followed, we fought and…
THE coordinating Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of Southwest, Sylvester Alabi, has said police officers attached to some influential individuals in the country have been withdrawn, in a bid to address shortage of manpower in the police force. Abiodun stated this on Monday in Ado-Ekiti during his maiden visit to Ekiti State police headquarters. Speaking with journalists, he said, “There was a time we accessed the level of deployment of Officers and we realised that there are some areas that we need to rejig the deployment particularly where manpower is being underutilised, they are recalled back. That issue…
IN a shocking revelation the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has notified the Head of Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, about persisting allegations of sexual harassment against the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Ibrahim Lamuwa. A married female employee of the ministry, Simisola Fajemirokun Ajayi, through Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and her lawyer, informed Tuggar of Lamuwa’s alleged sexual advances. The complaint was contained in a letter obtained by News Point Nigeria, dated, 27th May, 2024, titled; ‘RE: OFFICIAL COMPLAINT REGARDING SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF MRS SIMISOLA FAJEMIROKUN AJAYI BY AMBASSADOR IBRAHIM ADAMU LAMUWA (PERMANENT…