Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani

NATIONAL Legal Adviser of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Ahmed El-Marzuk, has resigned from the party’s National Working Committee, NWC. This newspaper gathered that he resigned his appointment on Wednesday, following insistence by some of his colleagues that he could not longer be in office due to some allegations against him. The 12th National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the party, which is currently underway in Abuja, is expected to name a replacement. The erstwhile national legal adviser was in the news three months ago when he recommended the expulsion of former National Vice Chairman for Northwest, Mallam Salihu…

ONE week after the military coup in Niger, the new military government has reopened the country’s land borders and airspace with five neighbouring countries, a spokesman for the junta announced on television on Tuesday evening. The border crossings to Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Libya, and Chad were reopened, he said. The junta also appointed new governors for the country’s eight regions. Tensions with the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) remained. The junta said Niger’s borders with Benin and Nigeria, both ECOWAS members, remained closed for the time being. On Sunday ECOWAS issued an ultimatum to the coup…

MILITARY Chiefs from some West African countries have arrived the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, for a high-powered delegation meeting over current activities of military juntas in the Republic of Niger. Our correspondent, who is covering the meeting, reports that the seats allocated to Mali, Guinea Bissau, Niger and Burkina Faso military chiefs are currently vacant. The military chiefs who are currently on the ground include Togo, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea, Gambia, Cote’Divoire, Cabo Verde and Republic of Benin. The meeting is being chaired by the chairman of ECOWAS military chief, Gen. Christopher Musa. Economic Community of West…

AMID heavy security presence, the Organised Labour has kicked off its protest against the “anti-people” policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and other states of the Federation including Lagos, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, and Edo. In Abuja, members of the Organised Labour with different paraphernalia of the unions, on Wednesday morning, gathered at the iconic Unity Fountain for the protest. Some officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) from the FCT were spotted at the Unity…

SENATE President, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, stopped former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, from addressing a “strong petition” cited against him over Southern Kaduna killings on the floor of the Senate during his ministerial screening exercise. The lawmaker representing Kogi West, Senator Sunday Karimi, during the screening moved against El-Rufai. Karimi, after el-Rufai’s presentations, stood up and told the chamber that he had a petition written against the former governor over the issue of killings in Southern Kaduna. Raising up a brown envelope, Karimi said, “Mr. President, I have a petition written against the nominee over the issue of…

THE Presidential Election Petition Court has reserved judgement in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, against the February 25 election victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The five-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, reserved judgement to a date to be communicated to the parties. Atiku, Nigeria’s Vice-President between May 1999 and May 2007, was physically present in court today (Tuesday). The petitioners — PDP and Atiku as well as Labour Party (LP) and its flag bearer, Peter Obi — are praying for the nullification of Tinubu’s victory…

THE Presidential Election Petition Court has resumed sitting for the adoption of the written address of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, against the February 25 election victory of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Atiku, Nigeria’s Vice-President between May 1999 and May 2007, was physically present in court today (Tuesday). Today’s hearing majorly is for the parties to adopt all their various arguments which are already before the court. After that is done, the court would either fix a date for judgement or reserve judgement. The petitioners — PDP and Atiku…

SENATOR Bello Muhammad’s credentials were scrutinised on Monday during his Senate screening as a ministerial nominee with questions raised about his university admission on secondary school results that included no more than two credits. Muhammad is one of President Bola Tinubu’s 28 initial appointees who had been scheduled for interrogations during a special plenary session in the Red Chamber. One of the questions was posed to the nominee by Senator Allwell Onyesoh of Rivers East, who sought to know how Muhammad was able to advance academically, given his school leaving certificate. “I’ve been looking for your school cert. I saw…

THERE was drama in the Senate on Monday when lawmakers grilled a ministerial nominee from Benue State, Joseph Utsev, citing “discrepancies” in his biodata. Utsev started his introductory comments at exactly 02:07pm immediately after the Senate screened ex-governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. He told the lawmakers that he was born in Gboko, Benue State on December 2, 1980 and he attended the University of Agriculture, Makurdi where he studied Civil Engineering and graduated with a Second Class Upper in 2004. Utsev said he observed the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Kaduna in 2006. The Professor of…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will address Nigerians today (Monday) at 7pm, his spokesman, Dele Alake, has said. “Television, radio stations and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority and Radio Nigeria for the broadcast,” Alake said. The agenda for the broadcast is not yet known as of press time but it might not be unconnected to the economic pain experienced by Nigerians amid the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as petrol. There seemed to be no respite for Nigerians after President Bola Tinubu, in his inaugural…

A WIDOW of the Late Emir of Dutse, Hajiya Asiya Nuhu Sanusi has dragged the Emir of Dutse, Ahaji Hamim Nuhu Sanusi to the Shari’a Court of Appeal over fundamental right to inheritance. In a suit filed by her solicitor, Barrister Abdulhali Ali Esq, the wife of the former Emir and seven others, dragged the Emir Hamim Nuhu Sanusi and six others as respondents and the State Upper Shari’a Court 1 as respondents challenging an earlier judgement by a Judge of the Upper Shari’a Court, led by Khadi Ado Birnin Kudu for allegedly erring in a case of inheritance brought…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed a Special Investigator to probe the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Related Entities. In a letter sighted by this newspaper, the president named Jim Osayande Obazee, the Chief Executive Officer, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), as the investigator. The President asked the Special Investigator to investigate CBN and key Government Business Entities (GBEs). He also said Obazee would report directly to his office. “In accordance with the fundamental objective set forth in Section 15(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), this administration is, today, continuing the fight…

GENERAL Abdourahamane Tchiani is the new leader of Niger following a military takeover, state television reported Friday. The chief of the Presidential Guard has been named “president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland,” a statement said, with elected President Mohamed Bazoum detained by army putschists since Wednesday morning. More details shortly…

FOLLOWING certificates withheld, 86 indigent students of Bauchi State, yesterday, cried to the Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, over N139 million debts owed Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State. The students were offered undergraduate scholarships and sponsored by the administration of former Governor of the State, Isah Yuguda, in 2014, and were offered Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Engineering, and other professional courses. Their plea for intervention by was contained in an open letter addressed to the Governor and signed by President of the 86 sponsored Bauchi students of Igbinedion University, Muhammad Umar. The letter reads in part: “First, I would…

MAX Air aircraft 5N-ADM on an Hajj flight to Niamey, Niger Republic is stranded in the city’s airport due to the ongoing military coup in the country. News Point Nigeria reports that, the aircraft, a b-747-400 landed in Niamey at 2140z (22:40 local time) with 360 Nigerian pilgrims onboard. Captain Maitama Kabo was in command of the 18 crew onboard. More details shortly…

THE national vice chairman (North West) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has resigned. Lukman, a member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) in a letter dated July 26 and addressed to the party’s acting national chairman, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said he resigned because the atmosphere in the party is at variance with the vision of its founding fathers. He had said it would be suicidal to replace Senator Abdullahi Adamu, former National Chairman of the ruling party with ex-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. The resignation letter reads in part: “I hereby kindly resign my position as…

THE Nigeria Police Force says there is no going back on its decision to withdraw mobile police personnel from VIPs in the country. This is coming a week after the Force denied withdrawing mobile police force from top personalities in the country after a leaked memo stated so. In the aftermath of the denial, there were insinuations in some quarters that the police lacked the will to implement the policy. However, reacting in a statement on Monday, the Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the decision of the police on the withdrawal remained unchanged. “The Nigeria Police Force hereby addresses recent…

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that there is no crisis in the party despite the recent resignation of its National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu; and National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore. In a statement on Saturday by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the party said contrary to reports of deepening crisis, “the APC stands as one strong, dynamic, resilient and progressive party”. According to the APC, the resignation of the two leaders showed the party’s level of institutional maturity and quality of its leadership which place the best interest of the party first and above personal egos and ambitions. The…

THE Bauchi State Local Government Service Commission has sacked six traditional rulers for allegedly dabbling in partisan politics. News Point Nigeria reports that the affected traditional rulers are from Bauchi and the Katagum Emirates of the State. This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Local Government Service Commission, Nasiru Dewu. “The Local Government Service Commission has approved the dismissal of six traditional rulers from Bauchi and Katagum Emirate Councils based on partisan politics, misconduct, illegal forest reserve encroachment and felling of trees, misappropriation of public funds and insubordination which is contrary to…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the Infrastructure Support Fund (ISF) for the 36 states of the Federation as part of measures to cushion the effects of the petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians. This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the presidential spokesman, Dele Alake, saying the approval followed the monthly meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) in Abuja. The new Infrastructure Fund will enable the states to intervene and invest in the critical areas of transportation, including farm-to-market road improvements; agriculture, encompassing livestock and ranching solutions; health, with a focus on basic healthcare;…