FORMER Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasiru El-Rufa’i has disclosed that he doesn’t regret supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 Presidential Election but he has been taken by suprise about the President’s actions. El-Rufai, who confirmed his defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Monday, added that, some Yoruba leaders from the South West had visited Kaduna and informed him that the Muslims of their region were being politically marginalised. That was the first reason he supported Tinubu. “The second reason is this: We agreed that the 2023 presidential…
Author: Hamza Idris
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THE Presidency has downplayed the defection of former Kaduna Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), suggesting that his move is driven by personal ambition rather than political ideology. Reacting to the reports on Monday, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, stated that while El-Rufai has the constitutional right to switch parties, his motives will be scrutinised. Bwala on his verified X handle @DanielBwala, on Monday, argued that El-Rufai’s political relevance was not as sudden or significant as some might suggest and indicated that the coming…
I RETURNED from China on Friday, September 6, 2024, after a roughly 10-day stay in that part of the world which while growing up we called in Hausa, Bangon duniya (final bus stop), because of its distance from most parts of the world. My conclusion at the end of the visit was that China did not get to where it is today by accident or by guess work or by impunity; it got there by planning, selflessness and patriotism. Even though some people will say it is foolhardy to put Nigeria and China on the same scale using the same parameters…
THE House of Representatives has passed a resolution to investigate the mass retrenchment in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The motion was passed at an emergency session on Wednesday to commemorate 25 years of Nigeria’s unbroken democracy since May 1999. A member of the House, Jonathan Gaza (SDP, Nasarawa) “worried that this retrenchment without any fair hearing in the last few years without any fair hearings or panels or criteria spelt out could cause the nation a lot in settlement. Terminating appointments arbitrarily will amount to killing the morale of junior staff not knowing what their fate would be”.…
THE second prosecution witness, a former Director of Information Technology of the Central Bank of Nigeria, John Ayoh, has told the Lagos High Court Sitting in Ikeja that former governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele, does not award contracts without collecting bribes. Ayoh stated this while testifying before Justice Rahman Oshodi on Monday in the ongoing trial of the former Central Bank Governor on allegations of abuse of office and accepting gratification to the tune of $4.5bn and N2.8bn. Ayoh said, “That is how he operates, he will not award contracts without collecting anything”. While being led in evidence…
– Say, EFCC Not Above The Law CHIEFTAINS of the All Progressives Congress have called on all sitting Governors, former governors and politically exposed persons to stand against the unjust persecution of former Governor of Kogi State by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The Chairman, Tinubu Media Support Group, TMSG, Barrister Jesutega Onokpasa, who briefed the press on behalf of others, described as utter travesty the former Governor’s unjust prosecution in the court of public opinion as against the court of law, saying it was a coordinated witch-hunt “against a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has hailed the National Security Agency, Nuhu Ribadu and other security agencies over the safe release of the Kuriga school children in Kaduna State. About 287, were kidnapped on March 6 when the gunmen on motorcycles rode through their school, taking them away in an incident that sparked outrage and condemnation from several quarters including the UN children’s welfare agency UNICEF. Two weeks after their kidnap, the children were rescued by security agencies. The military on Sunday said the victims were rescued in Zamfara State in the early hours of Sunday, through the joint efforts of the…
KIDNAPPERS have abducted passengers of two Abuja-bound buses in the Inele-Eteke, Ogugu, New Road area of Kogi East district. The buses were coming from the eastern part of the country. A source told this newspaper on Monday that the incident involved a GIG & ABC buses heading to Abuja. The source said that the GIG bus left Umuahia in Abia State at 7:30 am on Saturday on its way to Abuja, the nation’s seat of power. In the wake of the abduction, he said GIG had contacted security services to track the abductees. Meanwhile, Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the incident.…
THE Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday, directed the Federal Fire Service to refund the sum of N1.48bn within a week to the Federation Account, being the intervention funds it received for the COVID-19 health epidemic but which it cannot account for. The Bamidele Salam-led committee issued the directive on Wednesday following the failure of the service to appear at the investigative hearing for the third time. Deputy Chairman of the committee, Jeremiah Umar, moved a motion for the refund of the amount noting that “So many other agencies have appeared before this committee, and the…
THE Federal Government is set to ban single-use plastic products (SUPs) and styrofoam in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). The Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Salako, gave the indication in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, during a workshop and capacity building for chemicals and waste handlers, held on Tuesday. The minister, who commending the state government for the initiative, highlighted some of the measures being taken to promote circular economy which include strengthening relevant policies and institutional framework, building the capacity of manufacturers and producers to embrace the principle of cleaner production and enforcement of national policies on chemical…
THE Federal Government has announced a 37-member Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage with a mandate to recommend a new National Minimum Wage for the country. Director, Information in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen disclosed this in a statement issued Sunday night in Abuja. He said; “The planned inauguration of the Committee is sequel to the approval of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “The inauguration is scheduled to hold on Tuesday, 30th January, 2024 by 12:00 noon at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, State House, Abuja. “The Committee under the Chairmanship of Alhaji…