THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has expressed concern over the rising cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis in the country. NCDC warned that its peak season runs from November to May. As of March 26, 2025, 807 suspected cases and 74 deaths have been reported across 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory. NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this in an interview on Monday in Abuja. Idris said the agency has activated emergency response measures, particularly in Kebbi, Katsina, and Sokoto—the worst-hit states. “We are in the peak meningitis season, and the risk of transmission is high due…
Author: Hamza Rufai
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MALI, Burkina Faso and Niger have announced a new 0.5% levy on imported goods from Nigeria and other Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member-nations. The development comes as they seek to fund a new three-state union after leaving the larger regional economic bloc, they said in a statement. According to an official statement by the trio, the levy was agreed on Friday and will take effect immediately. It will affect all goods imported from outside the three countries but will not include humanitarian aid, the statement said. It will “finance the activities” of the bloc, it said, without…
MORE condemnation yesterday trailed last Thursday killing of 16 travelling hunters by vigilance group members in Uromi, Edo State. Various northern groups, state governments, lawmakers, among others, in separate statements frowned at the incident which they described as barbaric and cowardly. The victims were reportedly returning home from Rivers State to celebrate the end of Ramadan and Eid Kabir with their families when they were attacked. The Northern Elders Forum (NEF), yesterday, described the killings as “barbaric, extra-judicial, and cowardly,” calling for urgent action to address the situation. The spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, in a statement said: “The North…
THE House of Representatives has advanced a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to make the Court of Appeal the final arbiter on governorship election petitions in Nigeria. If passed, the bill will remove the Supreme Court from the appeal process in governorship disputes. The proposed legislation titled, “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Make the Court of Appeal the Final Appeal Court in Governorship, National and State Houses of Assembly Election is sponsored by Nnamdi Ezechi, member representing Ndokwa East/Ndokwa West/Ukwuani. The bill was read for a…
THE National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, deeply commiserates with the Governor of Katsina State, Malam Dikko Umar Radda, over the passing of his mother Hajiya Safarau’ Umar Baribari. Ganduje in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary Edwin Olofu, said her demise has left a profound void in the hearts of family, friends, and the people of Katsina State. Dr. Ganduje extends his condolences to Governor Radda, the bereaved family, and the entire people of Katsina State during this difficult time. He acknowledges the invaluable contributions of the deceased and…
BY the release of over 4,082 inmates, the Federal Government will be saving more than N1 billion yearly and decongesting correctional centres across the country. Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who disclosed this during the yearly Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja, yesterday, revealed that President Bola Tinubu has approved an increase in the feeding allowances of inmates. This was as his Information and National Orientation counterpart, Mohammed Idris, said the President “is fully committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all Nigerians.” Tunji-Ojo also said Tinubu equally approved the relocation of 29 correctional centres within residential areas due to urban development.…
LIKE the House of Representatives, the Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State, invoking its constitutional powers under the amended 1999 Constitution. The approval grants President Tinubu the authority to enforce emergency measures while mandating a review of the situation at any time, but no later than six months. Per the Constitution, the National Assembly has also imposed a joint committee of both chambers, to oversee the administration of affairs in Rivers State during the emergency period. Additionally, the Senate has resolved to establish a mediation committee consisting of eminent Nigerians to…
THE House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly in support of the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State. President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months following the political crisis that had rocked the state. Two days after the move, Tinubu wrote to the National Assembly, seeking their approval for the emergency rule declaration. The Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbass read the president’s letter during a plenary session on Thursday.…
THERE are strong indications that the 2022 Electoral Act will be amended to reinstate statutory delegates in political party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections. Senate President Godswill Akpabio made this known while addressing the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja on Monday. Akpabio described the omission of statutory delegates from party primaries in the 2022 Electoral Act as a costly mistake that must be corrected before the next round of elections. Speaking on the need for the amendment, the lawmaker said, “There were defects in the last Electoral Act that need to be addressed. In…
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, accusing him of lashing out at the party due to personal grievances following his failure to secure a ministerial position in President Bola Tinubu’s administration. El-Rufai, in an interview with BBC Hausa at the weekend, claimed that he and his allies had hoped that President Bola Tinubu would replicate his achievements in Lagos at the national level but failed woefully. El-Rufai explained that despite concerns about Tinubu’s alleged certificate forgery from Chicago State University during the 2023 presidential election, they backed him, believing he could…
UNITED States President Donald Trump has ordered the dismantling of government-funded news agency, Voice of America (VOA), accusing it of promoting biased media reports. “Voice of America has been out of step with America for years. It serves as the Voice for Radical America and has pushed divisive propaganda for years now,” FOx News quoted a senior White House official as saying. Last Friday, Trump signed an executive order to dismantle seven government offices, including the United States Agency for Global Media, the parent company of VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “The non-statutory components and functions of the following…
STATE governors have launched a fresh push against the planned disbursement of federal allocation to the local government councils in a renewed bid to delay the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict on LGA autonomy. Some of the governors, during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, last Tuesday, kicked against payment of the LG allocation through the Central Bank of Nigeria, citing the need to address the multi-billion dollar debts allegedly incurred by the councils. Presidency officials said the governors used the opportunity of the Iftar dinner to lobby the President and renew negotiations on…
THE Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) says the agency is ready to work in line with its mandate by recovering the accumulated debts of over N455 billion owed by Arik Air Limited (in receivership), and other sister companies belonging to Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, the promoter of Arik. Speaking in Lagos at the weekend, Jude Nwauzor, head of Corporate Communications Department at AMCON, said Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, who is the promoter of Arik Air, Ojemai Investment Limited, and Rockson Engineering Nigeria has been uncooperative towards the agency concerning loan recovery. Nwauzor said the agency will not be discouraged by the smear campaign…
FORMER Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai said he and his allies had hoped that President Bola Tinubu would replicate his achievements in Lagos at the national level but failed woefully. El-Rufai explained that despite concerns about Tinubu’s alleged certificate forgery from Chicago State University during the 2023 presidential election they backed him, believing he could transform Nigeria as he did Lagos. “What pains me is that the government we supported and had confidence in would do well, because we saw what Tinubu did in Lagos despite his challenges,” El-Rufai told BBC Hausa in an interview on Saturday. “We all know…
SENATE President, Godswill Akpabio, and the lawmaker representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan would appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions (SCEPPP). This is according to the Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, who appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria on Friday. He stated that other lawmakers too would narrate to the committee what they know regarding the alleged case of sexual harassment levelled against Akpabio by Natasha. “All the parties involved would appear before the Committee, including the Senate President. He would come and…
POPULAR entertainer, Obinna Simon better known in the entertainment industry as MC Tagwaye has joined the Social Democratic Party(ADP). Tagwaye, as he is popularly called, was a member of the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign team in the 2023 general election. He joined former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai who also left the APC for the SDP. In a statement he personally signed on Friday, he said his decision stemmed from a deep-seated conviction that the APC had deviated from its original ideals and no longer committed to the welfare and progress of the Nigerian people. According to him,…
THE House of Representatives on Thursday approved significant amendments to the four tax reform bills sent to the National Assembly in October by President Bola Tinubu. The bills are the Nigeria Tax Bill, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill and Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill. The amendments approved by the lower chamber at the plenary session on Thursday presided over by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen addressed contentious issues such as inheritance tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) rate and distribution formula, and also the clause on continuous funding of TETFUND, NASENI, and NITDA from the development levies fund. This…
OPERATIVES of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have intercepted $1,154,900 and SR135,900 undeclared foreign currency at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano State. NCS spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. He said the seizure was made recently during a routine baggage check on an inbound passenger, Hauwa Ibrahim Abdullahi, who arrived on Saudi Airline Flight No. SV401 from Saudi Arabia. According to Maiwada, during the physical examination of the passenger’s luggage conducted by NCS Officers, the undeclared currency was discovered concealed within palm-date fruit packs locally referred to as Dabino. He stated that…
THE complaint laid by Senator Natsha Akpoti-Uduaghan at the United Nations Inter parliamentary conference in New York on Tuesday has continued to attract reactions. The Kogi Lawmaker had taken her case before the global institution for them to prevail over what she says is an injustice meted on her. After listening to her complaint, the IPU told Senator Natasha that it will take necessary steps to address the complaints she brought to the union after listening to the other side. The Nigerian Senate has however replied to Senator Natasha’s complaint to the IPU through a letter written by the Senate…
THE price war in the downstream oil sector intensified on Tuesday as major oil marketers moved to offer a lower price against the gantry loading cost of N825 per litre set by Dangote Petroleum Refinery. This development followed a revelation by marketers that the landing cost of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) imported into Nigeria has dropped to N774.72 per litre. Marketers said the continued price plunge may lead to a reduction in the pump prices of PMS to about N800 per litre. Dealers said the N774.72 per litre landing cost, which factors in various expenses including shipping, import duties, and…