Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani

THE National Council of State has insisted that any change in government in Nigeria must follow constitutional procedures. The council also passed a vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu over his “achievements” in the last year since he assumed office. The National Council of State reacting to the recent #EndBadGovernance Protests frowned upon the call by some sections of the protesters for the resignation of President Bola Tinubu. Those who attended the meeting physically were former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, while former Heads of State, Generals Gowon Yakubu and Abdulsalami Abubakar joined the meeting virtually. State governors,…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is presiding over the meeting of the National Council of State. The meeting which is being held at the Council Chamber of the State House Abuja has in attendance former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari. Former Heads of State, Generals Gowon Yakubu and Abdulsalami Abubakar are joining virtually. Also present for the meeting are; the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akpabio and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. Governors Saminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, Hope Uzodinma…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Wednesday for a three-day official visit to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, at the invitation of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, confirmed the details of the visit in a statement released on Tuesday. During his visit, Tinubu will meet with Mbasogo at the Presidential Villa in Malabo. The two leaders are expected to hold discussions on key bilateral issues, with a particular focus on oil and gas and security. Several agreements will be signed to strengthen cooperation between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea in…

THE monies unremitted by Revenue Generating Agencies to the coffers of the Federal Government increased to N4.1tn as of June 2024, the Federation Accounts Allocations Committee has said. FAAC stated that this was despite the agencies’ reconciliation and payment of outstanding debts of N94.96bn in May 2024. This newspaper reports that the unresolved amount is $165,067,714.53 (N178.52bn) and N3,917,340,180,696.84, compared to the initial amount of $36,329,376.24 (N51.88bn) and N2,977,561,881,021 recorded in May 2024. The latest development was disclosed in a report by the Federation Account Allocation Committee post-mortem sub-committee meeting and signed by the Chairman of Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the reappointment of Adamu Adaji as the Director-General of the National Boundary Commission for the second term. A statement on Monday by the Head of Information and Public Relations Unit, Efe Ovuakporie, said Adaji’s reappointment was communicated in a letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. According to Ovuakporiethe, the appointment was effective from August 7 2024, for another four years. The letter read, “I am pleased to inform you that His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has approved the renewal of…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has sworn in the new Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack. Walson-Jack took the oath of office at about 1:00 pm at the Council Chamber of the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Monday, just before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council meeting. She succeeds Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, who served as the substantive HoS from March 4, 2020, until August 12, 2024, a day before she attained the retirement age of 60. The swearing-in ceremony comes nearly a month after the President, on July 17, approved her appointment. While receiving the new Head…

STATE governors, Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajuddeen Abbas and many other bigwigs of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will on Tuesday gather in Abuja to discuss prospects and challenges bedeviling the party. Serving and non-serving members of the National Assembly, former governors, state chairmen and other stakeholders of the party are billed for the occasion. The event is organised by some chieftains of the party under the umbrella of the National Progressives Hub (NPH) to mark one year in office of the APC National Chairman and Secretary, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje…

SOME top officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria have been arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged mismanagement or diversion of the N90bn released by the Federal Government to subsidise the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The officials were arrested in their offices and taken to the anti-graft agency’s office following their failure to honour earlier invitations extended to them by the ICPC. A source at the commission added that the officials were interrogated for hours on the N90bn subsidy for pilgrims upon their arrival at the anti-graft agency’s office. Speaking…

VICE President Kashim Shettima has restated President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to support and empower more Nigerian youths to excel in their chosen vocations. According to him, the President holds Nigerian youths in high esteem, and his commitment is evident in his appointments and the administration’s policies and initiatives such as the Youth Investment Fund, iDICE Programme, and the National Youth Development Bank, among others. The Vice President spoke on Friday when he received the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) youth wing, led by the party’s National Youth Leader Dayo Israel, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential…

MRS Folashade Esan, outgoing Head of Service of the Federation, on Friday presented her successor, Mrs Esther Wilson-Jack to President Bola Tinubu on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Esan said the President made the transition seamless as Wilson-Jack, the incoming Head of Service, spent some weeks with her learning the ropes. She said she was sure that Wilson-Jack was ready to hit the ground running. “We also had a good time with Mr President, sharing his vision for the country, especially for the civil service with us. “This should prepare the incoming Head of Service so that she can…

THE Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West Africa States on Friday called for the return of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to the regional bloc. Speaking in Abuja while on a visit to the National Counter Terrorism Centre, the Chairman of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff and Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, said their return is necessary to defeat the increasing insecurity ravaging the region, especially insurgency. General Musa disclosed that efforts are ongoing on the part of the Ecowas Chiefs of Defence Staff to ensure the three countries are…

A FORMER Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku, has asked President Bola Tinubu to convene a national constituent assembly to produce a new draft constitution for the country. Anyaoku, who is also the Chairman of the Patriots, said this was part of the proposals put forward during the meeting with the President at the State House in Abuja. “We put some proposals to Mr. President and we urged him to send a president’s executive bill to the National Assembly, a bill that will call for two essential measures,” Anyaoku said. According to him, the National Constituent Assembly is to consist of individuals…

THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has clarified that it did not raid the secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). This is coming less than 24 hour after the Department of State Services als0 dismissed reports that its operatives raided the headquarters of the NLC. DSS Spokesperson Peter Afunanya stated that the agency had no involvement in the incident. Also in a Friday statement by the Police Force spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi, the NPF said a suspected criminal was traced to a shop in the Centre Business District of Abuja which coincidentally was the NLC building. “Detectives, armed with the appropriate…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed chairmen and members of the governing councils of some federal universities and tertiary institutions across the country. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday. “The President expects that the new members of the governing boards of these institutions will perform their functions effectively and creditably and within the ambits of their statutory responsibilities,” the statement read. See the full list below: Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State (1) Temi Harriman – Chairman (2) Adeola Adeogun – Member (3) Benedict Aguele – Member (4)…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed 10 persons to serve on the governing councils of two federal tertiary institutions: the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Akwa Ibom State, and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Kaduna State. The Presidency announced the appointments on Wednesday in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, titled ‘President Tinubu appoints governing councils of two federal tertiary institutions.’ See full list below: PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS GOVERNING COUNCILS OF FEDERAL COLLEGES OF EDUCATION President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of the following Nigerians to the governing councils of these…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has pleaded with Nigerians to be patient with his administration, assuring them that the country is transitioning from darkness to dawn. In an official video released by the State House on Wednesday, Tinubu acknowledged the ongoing hardships orchestrated by the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira. He noted that Nigerians’ pain was compounded by what he described as an “avoidable lag” between the subsidy removal and his helpful plans for the country. He said, “Fellow Nigerians, this period may be hard on us and there’s no doubt that it is tough, but…

THE members of the House of Representatives have yet to implement their resolution to slash their salaries by 50 per cent for the next six months. The federal lawmakers made the resolution on July 18 and it was expected to reflect in their salaries for the month of July but the spokesman for the House of Representatives, Rotimi Akin, blamed bureaucracy for the delayed implementation. “The House of Representatives remains committed to the resolution passed on July 18, which mandates a 50 per cent reduction in the salaries of honourable members for the period from July to December 2024. “We…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Aminu Masari as Board Chairman of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) as well as other members of the board. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Tuesday. According to the statement, the President expects the new members of the board of this pivotal institutional vehicle to be dedicated and committed to driving TETFund’s objective of providing the needed support for tertiary education with a view to enhancing the productivity and quality of higher education See full statement below: PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of seven qualified Nigerians to head strategic agencies and programmes under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Tuesday. Those appointed are: (1) Dr. Badamasi Lawal — Chief Executive Officer, National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA). (2) Ms. Funmilola Olotu — Programme Manager, National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office (3) Ms. Aishat Alubankudi — Programme Manager, Grant for Vulnerable Groups (4) Princess Aderemi Adebowale — Programme Manager, Home Grown School Feeding (5)…

A FORMER Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume has apologised to the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) for not consulting the party before publicly accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of maladministration. Ndume who represents Borno South in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, however, said that he stands by his words, insisting that whatever he said or did was out of patriotism. “Yesterday I was invited by the party and here I am to discuss family matters with what has happened which you are all aware, actually the national chairman is not just…