Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu and French President Emmanuel Macron signed two agreements on Thursday in Paris, France, that will ensure a partnership on the development of critical infrastructure and the long-term sustenance of agriculture and food security. Earlier, President Tinubu and President Macron witnessed the signing of the agreement by the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group Chairman Tony Elumelu and Antoine Armand, the French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry for the bank to commence operations in Paris. Zenith Bank also inaugurated its services in the country during the visit. The partnership agreements were signed at an economic forum attended…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron exchanged jovial greetings in Pidgin English on social media on Thursday. Tinubu is currently in France having arrived the European country on Wednesday evening for a state visit. Both leaders had a meeting on Thursday, with Macron recalling about his days at the French embassy in Nigeria as an intern. In a post he wrote in Pidgin English on his X handle, Macron appreciated Tinubu for his visit. “Na big honor for France, dear President Bola Tinubu @officialABAT, to welcome you for dis State visit as one big partner and friend…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has told French investors that the country is open for business, saying his government is creating an enabling environment for them to thrive. Tinubu said this on Thursday during a joint briefing with the French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. “We’ve been working on stabilizing the security system in Nigeria and we are getting closer and closer,” Tinubu said. “We are doing better now in the area of security. I can assure all the investors that Nigeria is open for business.” “We assure you of a free market economy; easy in, easy out; no hindrance,”…

THERE are indications that President Bola Tinubu is set to transmit names of ambassadors-designate to the Senate for screening and confirmation, The PUNCH reports. The list comprises nominees who will serve as Nigeria’s ambassadors and high commissioners to various countries and multilateral organisations. Government officials with knowledge of the developments told our correspondent that names of nominees would be transmitted in early December. The development comes 14 months after 83 ambassadors were recalled in September 2023. Nigeria has 109 missions, 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates globally. This newspaper reported on November 21, 2024, that the Federal Government…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the appointment of Jami’u Abiola as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Linguistics and Foreign Matters. The appointment takes effect from 14th November, 2024. A statement by Director, Information & Public Relations, Segun Imohiosen on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the appointment is in line with the provisions of the Certain Political and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Act 2008, as amended. Until his appointment, Jami’u served as the Special Assistant to the President on Special Duties in the Office of the Vice…

IN a move to enhance oversight mechanisms, President Bola Tinubu has nominated three new members to fill existing vacancies on the board of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). The announcement was made in a formal letter addressed to the Senate President. A statement by Special Adviser to the President, (Information & Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, listed the nominees as Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle from Oyo State, Kennedy Ikpeme from Cross River, and Justice Ibrahim Buba, a retired judge of the Federal High Court. Established in 1979, the Code of Conduct Bureau plays a critical role in maintaining integrity within public service…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will embark on a state visit to France on Wednesday, the presidency has said. The visit is in honour of an invitation from President Emmanuel Macron. Disclosing this in a statement on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu will “be received on Thursday at the 350-year-old French military museum, Les Invalides and Palais de l’Élysée, by Macron and his spouse, Brigitte, for initial ceremonies that will dovetail into bilateral meetings.” “The Nigerian leader’s three-day visit, which will focus on strengthening political, economic, and cultural relations and establishing more…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has celebrated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on his 78th birthday. President spokesman Sunday Dare in a statement said Atiku has been an active player in Nigeria’s democratic journey. “President Bola Tinubu extends his best wishes to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the occasion of his 78th birthday,” Dare’s statement read. “The former Vice President and PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election has been an active player in Nigeria’s democratic process since the return to civilian rule in 1999.” Dare said Tinubu “recalls many special moments shared with Wazirin Adamawa as founding members of…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has arrived in Nigeria from Brazil where he attended the G20 Leaders’ Summit. The president arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja late on Saturday. He was welcomed by a team of government officials and other top dignitaries, hours after he left the Galeao Air Force Basa (SBGL) Airport, Rio de Janeiro. Tinubu attended the summit during which he endorsed the global alliance against hunger and poverty. The Nigerian leader also held bilateral talks with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva who praised reforms by President Tinubu. “We have too…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to solve the reoccurring clashes between farmers and herders that have claimed several lives. Violence between farmers and herders over access to water and land in several Nigerian states has put food production at risk. The conflict, which adds to the decade-long insurgency by militants who have killed tens of thousands in northeast Nigeria, has resulted in 3,641 deaths from 2016 to 2018, according to an Amnesty International report, the closest to an official tally on the casualties. Tinubu said his renewed focus on driving international and local investments into the livestock…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has written to the Senate, seeking Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede’s confirmation as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu’s move is in line with the laws of the country. “President Bola Tinubu has sent a letter to the Senate seeking confirmation of Lieutenant General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede’s appointment as the substantive Chief of Army Staff,” Onanuga said in a Friday statement. “In the letter sent today, President Tinubu seeks Oluyede’s confirmation in accordance with the provision of Section 218(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended and Section 18(1) of the Armed Forces…

THE Federal Government and the state governors will next week take decisions on the creation of state. The Governor of Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri, disclosed this to State House Correspondents in Abuja on Thursday after the National Economic Council. Diri revealed that the NEC gave Adamawa, Kebbi and Kwara states and the FCT one week (November 28) to submit their positions on the proposed creation of state police. He said by the time the NEC convened again next week a decision would be taken. “On the issue of state police today, when the decision was taken, even before it was,…

THE Federal Government has begun deploying consular officers to diplomatic missions worldwide before the anticipated release of the ambassadorial list. This move comes 14 months after 83 ambassadors were recalled in September 2023. Following President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration, a reassessment of foreign policy led to the recall of the 83 ambassadors; both career and non-career from their posts in September 2023, but the subsequent appointment of replacements has yet to take place. The envoys were instructed to return to Nigeria by October 31, 2023, marking a shift in diplomatic strategy and suggesting that the government was looking to realign its…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the dissolution of the Governing Council of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State, and the removal of Prof. Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh, the new Vice Chancellor, and Mrs. Rosemary Ifoema Nwokike, the registrar. This was disclosed in statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Wednesday. According to the statement, the council, led by Ambassador Greg Ozumba Mbadiwe, included five other members: Hafiz Oladejo, Augustine Onyedebelu, and Engr. Amioleran Osahon, and Rtd. Gen. Funsho Oyeneyin. The sacking of the governing council and officials followed reports that the…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has written to the National Assembly, seeking approval of a fresh N1.767tn as a new external borrowing plan in the 2024 appropriation act. If approved, the loan will be used to part-finance the budget deficit of N9.7tn for the 2024 budget. The president’s request was read by the speaker during plenary on Tuesday. The president has also forwarded the MTEF/ FSP 2025- 2027 to parliament and the National Social Investment Programme establishment amendment bill, to make the social register the primary tool for the implementation of the federal government’s social welfare programmes. This is as the Central…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reorganized his media and communications team to enhance the efficiency of government communication. The presidency announced that Bayo Onanuga, Sunday Dare, and Daniel Bwala would now work jointly as spokespersons for the administration. The decision, according to a statement issued by Onanuga early Tuesday, is aimed at ensuring that government policies, decisions, and engagements are communicated effectively and consistently. The President believes a collective approach to media communication will better serve the needs of the public. Sunday Dare, formerly Special Adviser on Public Communication and National Orientation, has been reassigned as Special Adviser on Media…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has sacked Dr. Chioma Ejikeme as the executive secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and replaced her with another woman. A statement issued by PTAD spokesman, Olugbenga Ajayi, on Monday said the President appointed Miss Tolulope Abiodun Odunaiya as the new head of the pension agency. “We are delighted to inform our Publics especially PTAD pensioners and other stakeholders of the appointment of Miss Tolulope Abiodun Odunaiya by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the substantive Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD),” Mr Olugbenga said without giving details on why Dr Ejikeme was dishonourably…

THE Presidency has launched a scathing critique of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing him of a lack of sincerity and moral authority in his recent comments on governance in Nigeria. In a statement addressing Obasanjo’s remarks at Yale University, Special Adviser on Public Communications and Orientation to President Bola Tinubu, Sunday Dare, in a post on his X handle, described the former president as a man with “a tremendous capacity for mischief,” whose “hallucinations” and misrepresentation of facts have been well-documented. Dare highlighted Obasanjo’s administration as one marred by corruption, referencing the widely criticised $16 billion power project that failed…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to depart Abuja today, Sunday, November 17, for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in the 19th G20 Leaders’ Summit. The high-profile meeting, scheduled for November 18-19, will convene global leaders to discuss pressing international issues under the theme, “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet.” According to a statement issued by his special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s invitation to the summit came from Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who currently chairs the G20. The gathering will bring together leaders from the world’s largest economies, alongside…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has conferred the national award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. President Tinubu announced the award during the Nigeria/India Bilateral meeting at the State House, Abuja on Sunday. He said that the award was bestowed on the Indian leader to signify the country’s appreciation and commitment to the Nigerian-Indian partnership. “I will confer on you today, the Prime Minister of India, Nigeria’s National Honor, the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger. This is to signify Nigerian appreciation and commitment to India as a partner,”…