Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani

THE seven major oil marketers in Nigeria have registered with the Dangote Petroleum Refinery for the lifting and distribution of refined petroleum products produced by the $20bn plant. Dealers under the aegis of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria confirmed on Sunday that with the registration, they would commence the distribution of fuel produced from the facility once the commercial terms are sorted. This came as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria also revealed that they would meet with the management of the Dangote refinery this week to discuss terms of product loading. Similarly, the Petroleum Products Retail…

THE Presidency on Sunday said the Bola Tinubu administration has no sacred cows and will spare nobody found culpable in the ongoing investigation of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and its Social Investment Programmes. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Ajuri Ngelale, said this when he spoke on TVC’s Politics on Sunday monitored by News Point Nigeria. While suspending the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, on January 7, Tinubu had directed the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to “conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has reopened money laundering cases against 13 former governors and some former ministers, with the amounts involved running into over N853.8bn. This newspaper’s findings revealed that the amount at stake in the high-profile cases involving the former governors and ex-ministers was not less than N772.2bn, however, the anti-graft agency is currently investigating the N81.6bn that was allegedly looted in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. However, another $2.2bn was alleged to have gone missing through money laundering, fund diversion and misappropriation in recent times. The $2.2bn was allegedly diverted by a former…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Special Presidential Panel on overhaul of National Social Investment Programmes, which will be led by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Saturday. According to the statement, “the Special Presidential Panel is tasked with immediately undertaking a comprehensive review and audit of existing financial frameworks and policy guidelines of the social investment programmes with a view to implementing a total re-engineering of the financial architecture of…

FORMER Nigerian military President, Ibrahim Babangida, says he is convinced that there would not be any interference from the military again which may truncate the progress of democracy in the country. Nigeria witnessed a lot of military incursions in its politics after independence, with men in uniform ruling the country more years than civilians until 1999. Babangida was one of the military men that led the country during that period, ruling for eight years from 1985 to 1993. Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, the former military leader stated that military interference robbed Nigeria…

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) said it has welcomed with equanimity, the Supreme Court’s decisions on election petitions challenging the outcome of 2023 governorship elections in eight states of the Federation. APC, in statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on Friday night expressed delight that in Lagos, Ebonyi and Cross River States, the Supreme Court upheld the election of governorship candidates of the APC. Morka, however, noted that the appeals on Kano, Zamfara, Bauchi, Plateau and Abia State governorship polls were decided in favour of other political parties and their candidates, saying the ruling party has accepted its…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Friday appointed a Governing Council of the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund to be domiciled in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement titled ‘President Tinubu appoints executive director and governing council of midstream and downstream gas infrastructure fund.’ They include the Governing Council Chairman who is the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Mr Heineken Lokpobiri; Executive Director, Mr. Oluwole Adama; Governing Council Secretary, Mr. Joseph Tolorunshe; NMDPRA Chief Executive, Farouk Ahmed. The council of also…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has suspended all administered programmes by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA). According to a statement by the Director, Information, office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, Friday, this is further to the ongoing investigation of alleged malfeasance in the management of the agency and its programmes. All four (4) Programmes administered by NSIPA, viz; N- Power Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and Home Grown School Feeding Programme (the “Programs”) have been suspended for a period of six (6) weeks in the first instance.…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved N683,429,268 billion as the 2024 intervention fund for public tertiary schools in the country. The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Sonny Echono, made this disclosure on Friday at the Fund’s strategic planning meeting with heads of beneficiary institutions in Abuja. According to him, from the total, 90.75 per cent is earmarked for direct disbursement, 8.94 per cent for some designated special projects, and 2.27 per cent is budgeted for response to emerging issues. He also disclosed that each university shall get for the Year 2024 intervention cycle, the total sum of N1,906,944,930.00,…

THE Supreme Court has reversed the sack of Caleb Mutfwang, affirming him as Governor of Plateau State. On November 19, the court of appeal in Abuja sacked Mutfwang as governor of the state. The appellate court held that the PDP violated the court order and ordered that a valid congress be conducted in the 17 Local Government Areas of Plateau. The court said the party conducted congress in only five LGAs of the state “which amounted to a nullity.” But a five-member panel led by Justice Emmanuel Agim reversed the decision of the appellate court for being perverse because the…

THE Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Zamfara Governor. The apex court set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal Abuja, which had declared the Governorship Election as inconclusive and ordered a re-run in three Local Government Areas of the state. He was declared the winner of the March 18 governorship election. In a shocking victory that dislodged then-incumbent Bello Matawalle of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he polled a total of 377,726 votes. Matawalle scored 311,976 votes. The APC candidate, now serving as the Minister of State for…

THE Supreme court has upheld the election of Abba Yusuf as Governor of Kano State, reversing the decision of the Court of Appeal and the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which sacked the governor. Justice John Okoro, who read the lead Judgement, said the Court of Appeal was wrong in affirming the decision of the tribunal, which held that Yusuf did not win the majority of lawful votes cast in the governorship election of March 18, 2023. In determining the case, the apex court raised two issues: whether the lower court was right in deducting 165,616 from the votes the Independent…

THE Supreme Court has affirmed Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the duly elected governor of Lagos State. The five member panel in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justices Lawal Garba and Adamu Jauro, affirmed the declaration of the APC’s candidate as winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election, after dismissing two separate appeals challenging his victory. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP), who came second and Abdulazeez Adediran popularly known as Jandor of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who came third had challenged the election of Sanwo-Olu on grounds of alleged irregularities, malpractices non-compliance as well as non-qualification. They had…

THE Kano State governor, Abba Yusuff, his Bauchi state counterpart, Bala Mohammed, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State are currently in court to witness proceedings at the apex court today. Also in court are the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Umar Damagum, and the governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang. The Supreme Court is expected to give judgment on seven governorship appeals. The states are Lagos, Kano, Zamfara, Plateau, Ebonyi, Bauchi, and Cross River. This newspaper reports that the apex court decisions on the governorship election appeals are the final. More details shortly…

IT’S judgement day in Kano, Zamfara, Plateau, Lagos, Ebonyi, Bauchi and Cross River as the Supreme Court is all set to deliver judgements in these seven states’ governorship appeals today, January 12, 2024, beginning 9am. Yusuf VS Gawuna (Kano) Late December, the apex court reserved judgement in the appeal filed by the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, challenging the verdict of the Court of Appeal and the State Election Petitions Tribunal, which removed him from office. The five-member panel led by Justice John Okoro reserved the judgement after the parties adopted their brief of arguments. In September, the tribunal nullified…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, at the State House in Abuja, held a meeting with the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, and the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, during which he received briefing on investment prospects in the steel sector. The President emphasized that a revitalized steel development industry is both a catalyst for robust economic growth and a doorway to immense opportunities for Nigeria’s massive pool of talented entrepreneurs. “We will remain unyielding in our determination to build a Nigeria where every citizen has an equal opportunity to prosper and achieve their dreams. New investments…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is currently in a closed-door meeting with Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. According to Channels, Fubara, who arrived at the Presidential Villa around 5.40pm on Thursday, proceeded directly to the President’s office, where the meeting is currently taking place behind closed doors. The purpose of the visit remains undisclosed as of the time of this report. This marks Fubara’s first visit to the Presidential Villa since the signing of the eight-point agreement following Tinubu’s intervention in the dispute between the governor and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of renowned Kano cleric Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Othman and ten others as the new Board and Management team for National Hajj Commission (NAHCOM), pending confirmation by the Nigerian Senate. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Wednesday. According to the statement, “the President, in his resolve to ensure hitch-free and seamless 2024 Hajj operations made the appointments to the Board of NAHCOM. The statement reads in full: STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS NATIONAL HAJJ COMMISSION BOARD AND MANAGEMENT TEAM President…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has seized the passports of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and her predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, over the ongoing investigations into scandals in the ministry. Edu, who arrived at the EFCC headquarters, Abuja at 10am on Tuesday, was still being quizzed by the commission’s investigators as of the time of filing this report at 7pm. As the EFCC interrogated the suspended minister over the N44bn fraud uncovered in the ministry, it was learnt that managing directors of three commercial banks were also questioned on Tuesday over the fraud. The…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed a major slash of travel delegations for all Federal Government official trips within and outside the country. The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing at the State House in Abuja. According to the Special Adviser, the directive means a 60% slash across board and affects all MDAs, including the office of the President, Vice president and the First Lady. He said, “President Bola Tinubu has approved that anywhere he travels within this country he will no longer accept or allow huge security delegations to be…