AHEAD of Saturday’s governorship elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa states, the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has deployed undercover agents, who are currently carrying out covert operations to identify criminals’ hideouts and clamp down on them in the three states and neighbouring states. This newspaper also gathered that President Bola Tinubu had approved the allowances for police officers deployed for the off-season elections in the three states, as well as other officers on special duties. Governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa have in recent years been marred by several unsettling events, which led to avoidable loss of lives…
Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani
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THE United States has warned its citizens in Nigeria of threats to major hotels in the “larger cities” of the country. The US issued this warning in an emergency information for American citizens dated November 3, adding that the Nigerian security agencies are working to counter the threat. It also advised US citizens to exercise vigilance at major hotels, be alert of their surroundings, keep a low profile, and review the travel advisory for Nigeria before checking into any hotels. “The U.S. Government is aware of credible information that there is an elevated threat to major hotels in Nigeria’s larger…
AMID the raging debate on the N5bn presidential yacht to be procured by the Federal Government, as captured in the 2023 supplementary budget submitted to the National Assembly, the Nigerian Navy on Friday affirmed that it had taken delivery of the yacht. The Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, stated that the yacht had been in the country since June, 2023. He explained that the service made a “long overdue request” for the replacement of the defunct presidential yacht during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. He…
THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is deploying back-channel strategies to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic. The regional bloc, while trying to avoid bloodshed in the West African nation, would also explore diplomatic interventions. This was disclosed on Friday by President Bola Tinubu who received the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital. According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the Nigerian leader said he has to guide the regional bloc carefully to protect detained…
THE organised labour comprising of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has declared a plan for a nationwide strike over the beating and abduction of their President, Joe Ajaero. The strike scheduled to be held on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, was made known in a press briefing on Friday. According to the leaders of the joint union, the Federal Government is given a six-point demand, including the immediate removal of the Commissioner of Police, Imo State, and Area Commander, among other officials, for their alleged complicity in the brutalisation and humiliation of Ajaero and other workers.…
THE Supreme Court has fixed January 26, 2024, for judgment in the appeal by a former member of the House of Representatives Farouk Lawan who is presently in jail. A five-member panel led by Justice John Okoro chose the date after lawyers to parties made their final submissions and adopted their written briefs. Lawan’s appeal is seeking to set aside the February 24, 2022 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which sentenced him to a five-year jail term and discharged him on two out of the three counts on the corruption charge brought against him by the Federal…
THE Court of Appeal Abuja has affirmed the victory of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Jibrin Isah. Delivering judgment on Thursday, the appellate court held that the witness on which the tribunal relied its judgment, was incompetent. The court subsequently expunged the exhibits presented by the witness from the records. The appellate court, thereafter, set aside the judgment of the tribunal and affirmed Isah’s victory. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Isah of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Kogi East Senatorial District election. But the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who…
THE House of Representatives has moved the proposed allocation for the procurement of a Presidential Yacht to the student loan policy of the Federal Government, thereby increasing it from N5.5billion loan to N10billion in the 2023 supplementary budget. The chairman, House Appropriations Committee, Hon. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, made this known on Thursday while addressing journalists shortly after the approval of the supplementary budget. “As far as we are concerned, we don’t have that presidential yacht anymore. We have increased the student loan (budget). “If you recall, the student loan was N5billion in the budget, but we have increased it to…
THE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, on Wednesday, defended the N18bn contained in the proposed supplementary budget for the commission when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. The INEC chairman was among the guests who appeared before the committee. He explained that the N18bn in the supplementary budget is not entirely for the conduct of the Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo governorship elections, but majorly personnel cost. According to the INEC chair, chairman, N1.6bn would be used to conduct 11 by-elections in constituencies and senatorial districts across the country. Yakubu said, “The…
THE Senate, on Thursday, sworn in Senator-elect for Kogi Central Senatorial District, Barr Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as a member of the 10th Senate. This followed her presentation with Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the duly elected Senator for Kogi Central. Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), becomes the first female Senator from Kogi State. Earlier on Tuesday, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, upheld Akpoti-Uduaghan as the duly elected candidate in the Kogi Central Senatorial Election held earlier in February. The court dismissed the appeal filed by Abubakar…
THE House of Representatives, on Wednesday, issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Madein, to submit a detailed report on the use of the N100bn COVID-19 intervention funds approved and released by the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari to ministries, departments and agencies between 2020 and 2022. The Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Bamidele Salam, who issued the notice in Abuja expressed dismay at the AGF’s refusal to comply with the resolution of the committee to submit the report on October 27, 2023. He noted that the House had mandated the committee…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, challenged his 48 ministers to deliver on their responsibilities or get sacked. Tinubu said he is determined to succeed in discharging his duties as President and charged his cabinet members to ensure they don’t become clogs in the wheel of Nigeria’s progress. The President gave this charge while declaring open, a three-day Cabinet Retreat at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. President Tinubu, who stated that at the end of the retreat, a bond of understanding would be signed between the participants and himself, said: “If you’re are performing, nothing to fear. If you’re…
THE scheduled meeting between the organised labour and Federal Government today, over the 30-day ultimatum to meet the demands of the former as contained in a signed Memorandum of Understanding, has been postponed. A top official of the Nigeria Labour Congress, who spoke with this newspaper, said the meeting will now hold next Tuesday. He said that the meeting was postponed at the instance of the Federal Government; “they shifted it because they did not remember that the supposed date was to be their Federal Executive Council meeting.” The essence of the meeting with the government is to agree on…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has warned his son, Seyi, and other persons from interrupting meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The president said he observed Seyi and other unauthorised persons breezing in and out of the federal cabinet meeting convened every week to discuss the most crucial issues of national importance. He cautioned specifically that such activities must end. “Last week, I noticed the undue access of people sneaking in and out of this Council, including… I saw the photograph of my son, Seyi, sitting behind. That is not acceptable. I will announce to you those people who are supposed…
GOVERNOR Bala Muhammad of Bauchi State has announced the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to douse the current political tension in Rivers State. He stated this on Tuesday while briefing State House reporters after a meeting of National Police Council presided over by the president at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Muhammad, who said the president was talking to the parties involved the imbroglio, added that it appeared there would be peace with his intervention. “He (President Tinubu) has shown that he is President for PDP and APC. We are going to work with him.” This…
THE Nigeria Police Council has confirmed Kayode Egbetokun as the substantive Inspector General Of Police (IGP). Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State disclosed this after police council meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday. The Bauchi governor also said that President Bola Tinubu, who chaired the police council meeting, intervened in the political and security situation unfolding in Rivers State with the planned impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Tinubu had on Monday, June 19, 2023, appointed Egbetokun as IGP. The new IGP replaced Usman Baba, who was appointed as the IGP by former President Muhammadu Buhari on…
THE Senate on Tuesday approved the nomination of Mr Zak Adedeji as Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Appearing at the upper chamber for his screening on Tuesday, Adedeji revealed his plans to improve the nation’s revenue, referring to the dearth of information in the oil and gas sector. He promised that most of the leakages would be halted. According to him, the core problem in the country is that of proper data, adding that developing data upon which decisions will be made is fundamental. According to him, it will enable sufficient info on the exact number of…
THE Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara; and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, met at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The two were seen shaking hands upon meeting. The incident followed the impeachment proceedings launched against Fubara by the Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday. Fubara and Wike, the immediate-past governor of Rivers State, appeared to be in the Villa for a meeting of the Nigeria Police Council, a constitutional body that oversees the organisation and administration of the Nigeria Police Force. The Council is chaired by President Bola Tinubu. The governor…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Monday said he has absolute confidence in the integrity of his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. Tinubu said this just before the commencement of this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. His comments come just 48 hours after a report emerged that the CoS may be battling an integrity crisis following allegations that he has been “trading off appointments in the government of President Tinubu to the highest bidder.” The report alleged a growing outcry among Tinubu’s loyalists who are insisting that…
THE candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25, 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, says the October 26, 2023 verdict of the Supreme Court, though final, leaves much to be desired. The former Vice President stated this at a press briefing on Monday in the nation’s capital, Abuja. He insisted that the then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, was not qualified to contest the February 2023 presidential poll. He accused the Supreme Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of supporting illegality, identity theft, impersonation, forgery of certificates and perjury. Atiku said…