Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani

THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has resolved to lift some sanctions on Niger Republic, Mali and Guinea. The resolution was taken at the extraordinary summit on the peace, political and security situation in the ECOWAS sub-region in Abuja on Saturday. While the regional bloc said the political and targeted sanctions on Niger Republic remain, it lifted some financial and economic sanctions on Guinea and some targeted sanctions on Mali. Announcing the Authority’s resolutions, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, said it has suspended the closure of the land and air border to Niger, a no-fly…

THE Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has urged the regional body to re-examine its approach to ensuring constitutional order in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger. Speaking while delivering his opening address at the extraordinary summit on the peace, political and security situation in the ECOWAS sub-region taking place in Abuja, the President said the situation on the ground in the region demands difficult but courageous decisions. He also urged the three member states that announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS to reconsider their decision and not see the union as an…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally explained why the INEC result viewing portal (IREV) failed to upload the presidential results of the 25 February 2023 election despite the seamless working of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS). This is contained in parts of the official report of the 2023 elections, cited by this newspaper and expected to be formally released by soon by INEC ahead of the first anniversary of the election. The elections were seen as controversial by mostly opposition party members, some Nigerians as well as domestic and international election observers. It took weeks for the…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of 10 executive heads across the Nigerian Communications Commission, Galaxy Backbone Limited, and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, all agencies in the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, announced the latest appointees in a statement he signed Thursday titled, ‘President Tinubu reconstitutes management teams in agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.’ At the Nigerian Communications Commission, he appointed Abraham Oshadami as Executive Commissioner of Technical Services, Rimini Makama as Executive Commissioner of Stakeholder Management, and Opeyemi Dele-Ajayi as President…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has dropped Ahmed Lawan Kuru as the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), naming Gbenga Alade as his replacement. According to Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, Alade’s appointment is to confirmation by the Nigerian Senate. Aside from Alade, the president also appointed the following: Aminu Ismail — Executive Director Adeshola Lamidi — Executive Director Lucky Adaghe — Executive Director “The President expects unflagging dedication, professionalism, and dutifulness from the new appointees so as to ensure that the operations of AMCON are more efficient, transparent, and in consonance with his determination to…

THE Senate has confirmed the appointment of 12 persons as members of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This confirmation comes after a report of the Committee On Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions Committee of the CBN was considered during plenary on Thursday. The confirmation of the new MPC members comes days to the first policy meeting of the apex bank under the new CBN governor. The meeting has been slated for February 26 and 27, 2024. The members are: 1. Olayemi Cardoso – Chairman 2. Muhammad Sani Abdullahi – Member 3. Bala M.…

THE Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has warned against advocating for a coup due to economic hardship, emphasizing patience and the superiority of democracy. He made this known on Thursday while speaking with journalists at the Nigerian Army 6 Division Headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, after commissioning some building projects. General Musa urged individuals promoting military takeover to cease such statements. The Chief of Defence Staff had earlier commissioned the newly constructed Entrance Gate and Officers Transit Accommodation at the 6 Division Headquarters. Protests have occurred in Ogun, Oyo, Kano, Niger and some parts of…

THE ruling All Progressives Congress has removed Governor Hope Uzodimma as Chairman of the Elections Committee after the controversy that trailed Saturday’s governorship primary in Edo State. His Cross River State counterpart, Bassey Otu, was named as his successor. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, saying the Cross River governor has now been saddled with the responsibility of conducting the re-run poll slated for Thursday, February 22. Other members of the Primary Election Committee include former Osun State deputy governor, Mrs Titilayo Laoye-Tomori; APC’s flagbearer in the Plateau State…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of DCG Kemi Nanna Nandap to serve as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), effective from March 1, 2024. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Wednesday. According to the statement, DCG Nandap takes over from Mrs. Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju, whose term in office expires on February 29, 2024. The statement reads in full: STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS DCG KEMI NANNA NANDAP AS COMPTROLLER-GENERAL OF THE NIGERIA IMMIGRATION SERVICE President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of…

THE immediate-past Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has vowed to sue the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, for alleged defamation. The Senate president had at Senator Barinada Mpigi’s thanksgiving service in Koroma, Tai Local Government Area, Rivers State on February 18, stated that President Bola Tinubu’s administration did not know the crime to charge Emefiele with. He added that the President inherited an economic mess from the former CBN governor. However, in a letter through his lawyer, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), addressed to Akpabio, Emefiele demanded an apology in written form and published in the media or be slammed with…

A BILL seeking the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to empower governors to appoint state commissioners of police scaled second reading on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. In the alteration to the constitution under consideration, a commissioner of police appointed from among the serving policemen in the state will head the proposed state police in a long-awaited move to decentralise the Nigeria Police Force which has failed to address the spiralling security crisis confronting the country. The country has been under assault by bandits, kidnappers, and other nefarious characters that daily launch violent attacks on citizens,…

PRESIDENT has approved the appointment of Ms. Hafsat Abubakar Bakari to serve as the Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), pending her confirmation by the Senate. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Tuesday. According to the statement, Bakari is a lawyer and financial intelligence expert with years of experience in anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and counter-proliferation financing. The statement reads in full: PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF NIGERIAN FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT (NFIU) President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed immediate settlement of outstanding electricity bill due to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company. The President’s directive follows the reconciliation of accounts between the State House Management and AEDC. News Point Nigeria reported that AEDC had threatened to disconnect the electricity supply of 86 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including the State House over a total debt of N47.1bn. Other MDAs include the Ministry of Finance, Information, Budget, Works and Housing, barracks, Nigeria Police Force, Presidential Villa, CBN Governor, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN),…

A CONSTITUTION Amendment Bill to introduce state police has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives. The bill, which was sponsored by 13 members of the House, enjoyed support from majority of the lawmakers in the green chamber who believed that concerns of political victimisation by state governors, should take the backseat to the current state of insecurity across the country. Last week, President Bola Tinubu and 36 state governors considered the creation of state police as solution to the menacing security challenges like kidnapping and banditry ubiquitous in the country. State police has been a subject of controversy…

THE Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, says the President Bola Tinubu administration is auditing the 22.7 trillion naira Ways and Means loans approved by the government of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari. The finance minister, who stated this on Tuesday at the Public Wealth Management Conference in Abuja, the nation’s capital, also explained that the details would be released soon. The event was organised by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) to seek ways of managing the nation’s assets and resources for the overall wellbeing of the people. The conference was graced by Vice President Kashim…

THE Senate through its Committee on Finance on Monday frowned at the N17tn loss incurred by the country on tax waivers within the last five years. It consequently urged the Federal Inland Revenue Service to suspend the tax waivers being largely abused and substitute it with a rebating system. The Senate’s objection to the allegedly abused tax waivers came to the fore during the 2024 budget presentation of FIRS to its committee on Finance. Some of the beneficiaries of the waivers include Dangote Group, BUA, Lafarge, Air Peace, NNPC, NDIC, and 23 Other Firms. Similarly, the Chairman of FIRS, Zacch…

CEMENT manufacturers in Nigeria have agreed to bring down the price of the product to between N7,000 and N8,000 per 50kg depending on the location nationwide. The manufacturers present also expressed their readiness to bring down the prices in the future as soon as the Federal Government intervention is fulfilled. This agreement between the Federal Government and the manufacturers was reached at a meeting called by the Minister of Works Senator David Umahi on Monday in Abuja. Also in attendance at the meeting was the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment Doris Uzoka-Anite. Uzoka-Anite says efforts are being made to…

THE Abuja Electricity Distribution PLC has threatened to disconnect the electricity supply of 86 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) over a total debt of N47.1bn. News Point Nigeria gathered that some of the MDAs include the Ministry of Finance, Information, Budget, Works and Housing, barracks, Nigeria Police Force, Presidential Villa, CBN Governor, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and state liaison offices in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In a disconnection notice on Monday, the disco gave the MDAs 10 days to comply and defray their debts or risk…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Sunday, met with his Brazilian counterpart, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and had fruitful discussions on comprehensive strengthening of bilateral ties in all fields, the Presidency has said. A statement by Tinubu’s media aide, Ajuri Ngelale, noted that the Nigerian leader, at the meeting, emphasized the strength of Nigeria’s economic potential and influence, saying the country is witnessing a leap forward, despite some short-term reform pains, as his administration is removing all encumbrances to business. The President further explained that his administration is investing in critical sectors of the economy like…

THE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it realised about N556.74 million from its ongoing e-auction of 462 impounded vehicles. It also dispelled rumours of allotting 300 vehicles to a single individual. The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) 100 Compliance team, had in a statement, accused members of the e-auction committee of a monumental fraud. In the statement signed by the National Coordinator of the Compliance Team, Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim, it was alleged that over 300 impounded vehicles were allotted to one person at the rate of N10,000 per vehicle. The National Public Relations Officer of the Service,…