Author: Hamza Rufai

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned that snakes, termites, monkeys, rodents and other mysterious animals must not be allowed to swallow the $1.07 billion earmarked for the health sector in the 2025 budget proposal. Also, in a fresh move to curb sleaze, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of the Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria have expressed their desire to team up with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on monitoring of the budget at national and sub-national levels to ensure optimal performance. In a statement he personally signed, yesterday, Atiku noted that bizarre…

KANO State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has appointed Umar Farouk Ibrahim as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG). The appointment was announced in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Saturday. Ibrahim’s appointment takes effect from Monday, February 10, 2025. According to the statement, Ibrahim was selected based on his extensive experience and expertise, which are expected to play a vital role in advancing the administration’s development agenda and keeping the state on track with its goals. Umar Farouk Ibrahim brings over three decades of distinguished public service to his new role. His…

THE Senate has ordered an investigation into allegations made by Niger Republic’s military leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, accusing the Nigerian government of colluding with France to destabilise the country’s internal security. This order followed a motion brought to it by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Shehu Buba (Bauchi-South). While presenting the motion, Buba emphasised that a major concern was Tchiani’s wrongful implication of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai, in the alleged conspiracy. Tchiani alleged that the Nigerian government was facilitating the…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dissolved the entire governing council of the University of Abuja, now known as Yakubu Gowon University and relieved Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi of her duties as Vice-Chancellor. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, in a statement said, “The President also announced significant leadership changes at several federal universities”. According to the statement, “In addition, President Tinubu has removed Professor Polycarp Emeka Chigbu from his position as Acting Vice-Chancellor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), before his tenure ends on February 14.” See full statement below: PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu…

THE House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution announced on Thursday that it has received 31 proposals for the creation of new states across the six geopolitical zones. Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu read a letter from the committee during plenary, outlining the conditions that must be met before any state creation requests can be approved. According to the letter, the proposals include five from the North Central, four from the North East, five from the North West, five from the South East, four from the South South, and seven from the South West. According to the…

DEPUTY Speaker Benjamin Kalu has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to apply his power of prerogative of mercy and tamper justice with mercy for the release of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, from detention. Kalu made the appeal while addressing reporters after the inaugural meeting of the House of Representatives committee on South East Development Commission (SEDC) at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Wednesday. The Deputy Speaker applauded the President for his continuous and tremendous support and commitment towards peace, development and stability of the South-East region. According to him, since…

TWO cargoes of jet fuel, averaging about 130 million litres, have been exported from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. Coming on the backdrop of projection by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that the 650,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery would disrupt the global crude and product market, President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, described the latest export as an achievement of the goals set by the organisation. The development may also indicate that Nigeria will be prioritising the Middle East in its ambition to become a refining hub amid the shutdown of refineries in…

THE President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday expressed satisfaction with the just-concluded budget defence sessions, commending lawmakers for their dedication in scrutinising the 2025 budget to ensure a workable financial plan for the year. The Senate President made the comment when he presided over the resumption of plenary after a two-week break. In the meantime, following President Bola Tinubu’s assent to bills establishing development commissions for various regions in the country, the Senate has conducted a minor reshuffle, appointing chairmen and deputy chairmen to oversee these commissions. According to Akpabio, Senator Babangida Hussaini and Senator Muntari Dandutse will…

FOLLOWING the recent suspension of development assistance by the new United States administration under President Donald Trump, Senator Adamu Garba, who represented Yobe South, has said scrapping the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) spells good news for Africa. In lieu of foreign aid, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), yesterday, approved N4.8 billion funding package to sustain HIV treatment programmes across the country. This was disclosed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, after the resumed FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. USAID employees are being placed on…

THE Police Service Commission (PSC) has reiterated that it lacks the authority to appoint or remove the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, amid speculations surrounding his tenure. “The commission does not have the constitutional powers to determine the appointment or exit of the Inspector-General of Police,” PSC spokesperson Ikechukwu Ani said in a statement on Monday. The clarification follows a directive issued by the PSC on Friday, ordering police officers aged 60 or those who have served for 35 years to proceed on immediate retirement. The decision raised concerns over Egbetokun, who turned 60 last year. Ani stressed that the…

THE Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on energy, Olu Arowolo Verheijen, has said her words were misrepresented during an interview in Tanzania. Verheijen had attended a World Bank-sponsored conference in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. There, she presented a $32 billion plan to boost electricity connections by 2030 on behalf of Nigeria. Bloomberg reported that she said Nigeria’s power prices need to rise by about two-thirds for many customers to reflect the cost of supplying it. Following the publication of the report, many newspapers have run amock with reports about the Federal Government’s proposed “65% increase in…

LOCAL Governments across the country are facing a fresh hurdle in their bid to receive their monthly allocations directly from the Federation Accounts. Each of the 774 local governments is now required to furnish the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with a comprehensive audit of its finances for two years as a prerequisite for direct remittance of their allocations, it was learnt yesterday. The direct revenue disbursement was originally scheduled to commence last month but had to be deferred at the last minute because many of the councils failed to submit the necessary details required to facilitate the direct payments.…

THE Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, says Nigerians condemn corruption yet rally behind corrupt leaders when they are being prosecuted. Olukoyede said underdevelopment would be a thing of the past if every citizen sees corruption as a common enemy. “Everybody is crying that Nigerians are corrupt, that the system is corrupt; that corruption is killing us and destroying our system,” he said while receiving officials of the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), led by Chris Olukolade, on Friday in Abuja. According to Olukoyede, collaboration and synergy with the CCC will boost strategic communication and…

SOLDIERS cannot return to power because military rule is outdated, former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, said yesterday. He noted that in the last 25 years, democratic rule has survived the onslaught of reactionary forces. Gen. Abdulsalami said he was proud of laying a solid foundation by handing over power to civilian authorities. Urging Nigerians and the political parties to nurture the tree of democracy, the former military leader said: “There is no alternative to civil rule.’’ Gen. Abdulsalami spoke at the launch of a book titled: “100 Years of Political Parties Evolution in Nigeria, 1923 – 2023’’…

GOVERNORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will meet on Friday in Asaba, Delta State, to address the party’s deepening crisis. The emergency meeting follows a chaotic Board of Trustees (BoT) gathering in Abuja on Wednesday, where supporters of embattled National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, attacked former PDP Youth Leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye. The meeting, convened by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, will focus on resolving internal conflicts, organizing the NEC meeting, addressing the National Secretary dispute, and reviewing the party’s state. Speaking at the BoT meeting, Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum accused party leaders of fueling…

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has described as complicated the reason for the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States. Tiggar said the situation demands careful consideration and diplomatic efforts to address the underlying concerns, stressing that the withdrawal will have far-reaching consequences for regional security, economy and integration efforts. He also noted that President Bola Tinubu has been working tirelessly to address the concerns of these countries through diplomatic channels. The Minister was also quick to remind all that the decision to impose sanctions on these countries…

PRESIDENT General, Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has expressed support for the establishment of an Independent Shariah Arbitration Panel in Ekiti and Oyo States. The sultan also expressed concern about what he said is the high spate of intolerance and disregard for the rights of Muslims, especially in the southern part of the country. The monarch noted that Muslims in Southwest have been denied their constitutional rights to a Shariah Court of Appeal. Speaking through a statement on Wednesday by the Deputy National Legal Adviser of NSCIA, Imam Haroun Eze,…

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has resolved to hold a nationwide anti-telecom tariff hike protest on Tuesday, February 4. The Nation learnt that the nationwide protest was agreed on at the ongoing National Administrative Council (NAC) meeting of NLC. It is aimed at sounding a note of warning to the government that workers would resist the planned hike as it would worsen the poverty level across the country. This newspaper reports NCC approved a 50% tariff increase for mobile network operators. Recall that NLC had, on January 22, rejected the 50 percent telecommunication tariffs hike approved by the Federal Government…

THERE was mild drama as Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, the two men locked in struggle for the position of National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), clashed at the commencement of the Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting of the opposition party. The PDP, which is currently entangled in crisis from different fronts, held BoT meeting at its National Headquarters, on Wednesday. PDP BoT Chairman and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, officially opened the meeting at 12:05 p.m. in Abuja. Anyanwu was present from the start, while Ude-Okoye arrived at precisely 12:10 p.m. The atmosphere was tensed, as the…

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has claimed that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State is using criticism of President Bola Tinubu over tax reforms and other policies to launch his 2027 presidential ambition. The Minister made this allegation when he appeared on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme on Sunday monitored by News Point Nigeria. According to him, the Bauchi State governor showed that he does not have sincerity of purpose in his criticism of President Tinubu. “Governor Bala Mohammed showed clearly that he does not have any sincerity of purpose,” Tugar said on the programme. “It is not…