THE uploading of results from polling units for Saturday’s governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo is in progress. This newspaper reports that as at 5:55pm, 1,417 polling units results for Bayelsa, representing 63.15 per cent of the 2,244 expected polling units results, had been uploaded by INEC. This newspaper also reports that the results were uploaded on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) designated portal. For Imo, 2,899 out of 4,720 expected polling units results, representing 60.93 per cent, were so far uploaded. Also, 1,914 out of 3,508 polling units results, representing 54.56 per cent of the governorship election…
Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani
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PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has told investors from Saudi Arabia that all bottlenecks will be crushed and their funds will come in and go out without hindrance. The president spoke on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as he began his deliberation with the captains of Saudi Arabian Industry at the Nigeria-Saudi Investment Roundtable. He made it clear that with his team in place, every negative perception or notion about what Nigeria had represented in the past with respect to the ease of doing business, monetary policy, and trade cooperation were no longer applicable now and in the future of Africa’s…
THE time has come for the people of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states to decide on their choice of governors for new four-year terms. On Saturday, they would head to the polls to cast their ballot for who will marshall their affairs up until 2028. Ahead of the exercise, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed its readiness for the conduct of credible polls in the three states. “We will continue to ensure free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections but INEC cannot do it alone,” the commission’s chief Mahmood Yakubu said in an address to stakeholders, dispelling fears about…
THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, on Friday ordered a thorough probe into the allegation of assault on the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero. On November 1, Ajaero was picked up at the NLC secretariat in Owerri by heavily armed policemen. At the time of his arrest, he was leading a statewide protest and strike in the Imo State capital over what the Congress described as a lack of respect for workers, unpaid salaries and pensions, amongst others. More than a week after the incident, the IGP said the investigation is to ascertain…
THE National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, assures residents of Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states of security preparedness during the off-cycle elections coming up Saturday (tomorrow). According to a signed statement by the Head, Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari U. Mijinyawa, Friday, the NSA warns against violence by political actors and charges security agencies to adhere to professional code of ethics during the conduct of the exercise. The NSA assures that in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, security agencies have made adequate preparations to ensure safe, secure and transparent elections on Saturday, 11…
THE Federal Government’s recently agreed wage with the Labour Congress, salaries to federal workers, and other non-debt recurrent costs are expected to gulp N7.76tn in 2023. This is based on data from the initial 2023 budget and recently signed 2023 supplementary budget. The country’s central government recently approved a N2.18tn budget to augment new expenses, including an agreed wage reward for workers due to the removal of fuel subsidy. When the budget was announced, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, noted that N605bn has been earmarked for national defense, while N210bn will cover the payment of wage…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Mohammed Abba Isa to serve as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Thursday. The statement read in full: PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS PRESIDENTIAL AIDE ON DISABILITY MATTERS In his determination to ensure that every segment of society is sufficiently catered to within the ambit of the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Mohammed Abba Isa to serve as the Senior Special…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu alongside eight Ministers and heads of agencies will, on Thursday, depart Abuja for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the first Saudi-Africa Summit scheduled to take place in Riyadh on November 10, 2023. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed this in a statement he signed on Wednesday titled ‘President Tinubu set to attend Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.’ According to Ngelale, the President will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman; Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mr.…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of twenty (20) qualified Nigerians to serve as Federal Commissioners in the National Population Commission (NPC) with nine current Federal Commissioners being appointed to a second term in office. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Wednesday. The statement read in full: PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS TWENTY FEDERAL COMMISSIONERS OF THE NATIONAL POPULATION COMMISSION (NPC) President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of twenty (20) qualified Nigerians to serve as Federal Commissioners in the National Population Commission (NPC) with nine current Federal Commissioners…
JUSTICE Olukayode Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court has granted former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, bail. The judge ordered that Emefiele be released immediately to his lawyers, who were charged with the responsibility of producing him in court for his arraignment next week or at any other day. According to the judge, the ex-bank chief must also deposit his travel documents before the chief registrar of the court, pending his arraignment. The judge also pointed out that there must be an end to detention, without trial. The court must also not overlook…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has assured the National Population Commission (NPC) of the Federal Government’s support to conduct the botched census in the country soon. The President gave the assurance on Wednesday, at the launch of the National Geospatial Data Repository, Digital CRVS System and inauguration of the National Coordination Committee for CRVS at the Presidential Villa Abuja. The initiative is aimed at a complete departure from traditional paper-based recording of vital events to a state-of-the-art digital solution that conforms to international best practices. During the launch, President Tinubu said the population remains the greatest asset of the nation in the…
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has finally bowed to the order of the court by producing the former Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, in court for the hearing of his bail application. Emefiele who has been in the custody of Security agencies for over 149 days, was ordered by Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, to be released unconditionally or be brought to hear his application for bail. Dressed in a yellow Kaftan and a cap and flanked by operatives of the EFCC, the former CBN Governor arrived at the courtroom at…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Tuesday approved the appointment of three new Executive Commissioners to serve in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the redeployment of one current Executive Commissioner, pending their confirmation by the Nigerian Senate. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement titled ‘President Tinubu appoints three new NUPRC executive commissioners.’ According to Ngelale, the President approved the reshuffling and replacement based on “his deeply informed assessment of all factors concerning the sector to establish a regulatory framework and culture that comprehensively disincentivises errant behaviour and incentivises diligence and…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Abdu Mukhtar to serve as the National Coordinator of the Presidential ‘Unlocking Healthcare Value-Chain’ Initiative, which is domiciled under the Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, Tuesday. The statement read in full: PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS NATIONAL COORDINATOR OF PRESIDENTIAL UNLOCKING HEALTHCARE VALUE-CHAIN INITIATIVE President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Abdu Mukhtar to serve as the National Coordinator of the Presidential ‘Unlocking Healthcare Value-Chain’ Initiative, which is domiciled under the…
THE leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have declared a total nationwide strike effective next Tuesday, November 14, 2023. The leadership of the two union reached the resolution after an extraordinary National Executive Council meeting on Tuesday in Abuja. The two major labour unions said nationwide mobilisation of members and allies have begun immediately. The action by the Organised Labour followed the brutalisation of NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, last week in Imo State. There had been widespread outrage by the Organised Labour accusing the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Mohammed Barde,…
THE Senate on Tuesday urged the Nigerian government to work with the United Nations and other countries of the world to ensure immediate ceasefire in the ongoing Israeli-Palestine war. It also urged the federal government to press for two-state solution to end the conflict, in which thousands, including women, children and aid workers had been killed. According to the health ministry, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 10,000 people — including more than 4,000 children. Referencing the Nigerian civil war and the concomitant horror encountered by Nigerians, the Senate equally urged the United Nations to revisit the issue of…
DESPITE the federal government’s warning on the US Mission in Nigeria and other foreign missions in the country against “needless security advisories”, Canada also joined the United States and the United Kingdom in issuing a warning against non-essential travel to Nigeria. News Point Nigeria had reported that the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Malagi had stated that such advisories had far-reaching implications on the general polity as well as the country’s economy. Malagi said the Federal Government was not resting on its oars to ensure that every inch of land and every citizen, resident and visitor in the…
THE Presidency on Monday threw a jibe at the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, saying that the businessman once benefited from judicial pronouncements when he reclaimed his mandate as governor of Anambra State in 2007 but he now castigates the same when the Supreme Court ruled in the favour of President Bola Tinubu on October 26, 2023. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known in a statement hours after Obi faulted the Supreme Court verdict which affirmed the electoral victory of Tinubu, the then candidate of the…
WITH days to the November 11, 2023 off-season governorship polls in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that polling unit results will be uploaded real-time on the Result Viewing Portal (IReV). INEC’s Acting Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mary Nkem, stated this on Channels Television’s People’s Townhall on Election Security in Abuja on Sunday night monitored by News Point Nigeria. The official said all the glitches experienced during the general elections earlier in the year had been fixed. She said INEC has put a lot of plans in place to guarantee…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will, this week, depart Abuja for Riyadh, capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the Saudi-Africa summit and the Arab African summit both scheduled to hold on November 10 and 11, 2023, respectively. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, who briefed State House Correspondents on Sunday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, disclosed that Tinubu’s appearance at the summits marks fresh moves to engage Arab nations to attract businesses and additional Foreign Direct Investment to Nigeria. Ngelale said, “ President Bola Tinubu will be heading to Riyadh, the Kingdom of…