Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has said the police, military and other security agencies did not use excessive force on the #EndBadGovernance protesters. Speaking at a meeting of security agencies heads on Tuesday in Abuja, the IGP said there were attacks on security operatives deployed to manage the protests. According to the police boss, the military and police did not use live ammunition during the protests. “The police and the military, indeed no other security agency involved in the management of this protest has deployed excessive use of force. Instead, what we had were attacks on security agents during…

THE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecommunications operators to review and reduce their tariff plans, bundles, and promotional activities. Of late, many Nigerians have expressed frustration about how their airtime and data plans which lasted longer before now evaporate in days amid agitation by telcos seeking NCC’s approval to hike tariff plans. NCC spokesman Reuben Muoka in a statement on Monday said the regulator has mandated all telcos to release clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate information about the cost of voice, short messaging service (SMS) and data services to all subscribers. “The guideline is the outcome of consultations with industry…

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that those benefiting from the lucrative business of fuel importation are going to make efforts to frustrate the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. Obasanjo stated this in the wake of allegations by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, that some ‘mafias’ were making efforts to frustrate the $20bn refinery. This came as it was gathered on Monday that the multi-billion dollar refinery and other domestic refineries had yet to purchase crude oil in naira based on the directive of President Bola Tinubu to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited. In an interview with…

THE Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Christopher Mustapha has cautioned those flying the Russian flag, saying it is a treasonable offence.  Some #EndBadGovernance protesters in the northern region of the country have been spotted waving the Russian flag as the demonstrations entered Day 5. That has sparked a wave of comments from several quarters including the CDS who described the move as unacceptable. “All of us have seen where foreign flags have been flown within the sovereignty of Nigeria, and that is totally unacceptable. We are warning in clear terms and the President has also said we should convey…

THE Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has released the list of six institutions that have received its disbursement of N2,026,163,340 as institutional fees. The list was released on the official X handle of the fund on Saturday. The institutions include: the University of Ibadan, Bayero University, Kano, University of Ilorin, University of Benin, University of Maiduguri and Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State. The fund disbursed N853,775,000 to Bayero University, Kano, N589,001,500 to the University of Maiduguri and N304,961,800 to the Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State. Further details showed that the University of Ibadan got N201,114,650, University of Ilorin got N52,897,890,…

FORMER Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has hailed Nigerians who trooped to the streets in protest against the government of his main opponent in the last general election. This newspaper reports that Atiku ran against President Bola Tinubu in last year’s election but came second. In a statement on Friday, Atiku commended Nigerians for their courage while condemning the hoodlums who hijacked the protest in some states. He also asked security operatives to be mindful of how they conduct themselves and cease harassment of journalists and reckless shooting. The former Vice President asked the Tinubu administration to come down “from its high…

GOVERNOR Usman Ododo of Kogi State has commended the youths of the state for shunning what he termed politically motivated protest in the country, saying the young Nigerians stand on positive side of history for not giving up themselves to be used as agents of chaos. Governor Ododo, who described the youths as “a force for nation building and the bulwark of national development”, said the decision of Kogi youths to organise a summit that examined the roles of Nigerian youths in nation building, showed they were patriotic and believed in the transformative agenda of President Bola Tinubu. The governor…

A MORNING tour of Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, on Thursday revealed no signs of protests. This newspaper reported that the areas visited were clear of any gatherings. At the popular post office along the Lokoja-Kabba/Okene road, traders were seen cautiously opening their shops halfway, carefully assessing the safety situation before fully opening. Security personnel, including police, civil defence officers, and local vigilantes, were observed patrolling key locations throughout the town. At the Secretariat of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, police were stationed at the gate, monitoring the movement of individuals entering and exiting the venue of the…

OPERATIVES of the Kano State Police Command have dispersed some youths who tried to break into a store along Zoo road in the state capital. The suspects had attempted to force their way into the two storey building housing Sadaraki Stores. But the police quickly moved in to stall their action. However, before the arrival of security operatives, the suspects had destroyed windows of the building. So far, there is low compliance with the protest against hunger in the ancient city as many residents are indoor. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had, on Wednesday, said he had intelligence that evil-minded persons…

IN a generous act of philanthropy, Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, the President of MAAUN Group of Universities, has donated N5 million to support the education of 30 orphans enrolled in the primary section of Intercontinental Schools Kano. Prof. Gwarzo announced the donation during the Speech and Prize Giving Day of the School for 2023/2024 academic session held at the Afficient Event Centre, Kano on Tuesday. According to him, the gesture would go a long way in supporting the pupils to pursue their secondary school education after completing their primary education in the school. This significant contribution aims to enhance the…

SENATE President Godswill Akpabio has taunted those calling for demonstration over the economic hardship in the country. According to him, those interested in the protest can go ahead “but let us be there eating”. Akpabio spoke at an event organised by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on Tuesday in Rivers state. His comment comes on the heels of the planned which organisers said would take off on August 1 and end August 10. Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, met with some of the organisers on Tuesday in Abuja, appealing to them for virtual protest but they insisted on going…

THE Federal Government paid over ₦633.30bn on electricity subsidy in the first quarter of 2024, findings have shown. According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission quarterly report, the sum represented a 150.5 per cent increase from ₦252.76 billion in Q4, 2023. The sum paid in the first three months of the year is higher than ₦628.61bn paid from January to December 2023. A breakdown of the ₦633.30bn showed that subsidy gulped ₦36.02bn in the first quarter, ₦135.23bn in the second quarter, ₦204.6bn in the third quarter and ₦252.76bn in the fourth quarter of 2023. The electricity market regulator blamed the…

THE senator representing Borno South at the National Assembly, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has rejected a new office allocated to him by the Senate Services Committee. Ndume, in a letter addressed to the Chairman, Senate Services Committee on Tuesday, said the office given him does not reflect his seniority and high ranking posture at the Senate. The letter, signed by his Chief Confidential Secretary, Yati Shuaibu Gawu, reads: “I am directed to inform you that, Distinguished Senator Mohammed All Ndume, has rejected the allocation of office number 3.10 by the Committee. “This is because offices are traditionally allocated on seniority basis.…

THE Federal Government has called for calm on the proposed nationwide protest, saying it had created centres across the country where Nigerians can purchase a 50kg bag of rice for ₦40,000. This was revealed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris while briefing correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja on Monday. According to Idris, the initiative was part of initiatives by the Tinubu administration to ease living conditions for citizens. He argued that there was no longer a need for the nationwide…

THE military and the Police have commenced a massive nationwide deployment of soldiers and police personnel ahead of the August 1 #EndBadGovernance protest planned by some youths and civil society groups. Findings by this newspaper on Monday also indicate that the security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, have put their personnel on red alert in anticipation of the proposed nationwide rally organised to draw the government’s attention to the economic hardship faced by citizens. The organisers, who have refused appeals by the Presidency and police authorities to abandon the demonstrations, want an improvement in the soaring…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has confirmed fuel supply and distribution challenges in some parts of Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other states but promised to work on restoring normalcy.  “The NNPC Ltd. wishes to state that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the FCT is as a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels,” the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL Olufemi Soneye said in a Saturday statement. “The Company further states that it is working round the clock with…

A FORMER governor of Kano State governor and the National Leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, has called on Nigerians and the youths, to employ the power of the ballot box to resolve the current economic hardship in the country.  The NNPP helmsman spoke on the background of a planned nationwide hunger and hardship protests by youths. In a statement published on his official X handle on Saturday, Kwankwaso said although the idea of a protest resonates with him, Nigerians should rather be patient with the Bola Tinubu government, and give it all necessary support…

THE Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Friday, asked all groups planning to carry out proposed nationwide hunger protest to submit their details to the Commissioners of Police in their respective states commands. Egbetokun also disclosed that intelligence at the disposal of the Force has revealed that foreign mercenaries are involved in the proposed nationwide protest. The Police boss, who spoke to journalists, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja during a press briefing, said the demands were made to ensure a peaceful demonstration. He said, “we acknowledge the constitutional rights of Nigerian citizens to peaceful assembly and protest. However, in…

THE Senate has revealed plans to summon the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Dangote Group, and Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri among others, for questioning over alleged economic sabotage in the country’s petroleum industry. This was made known by the Leader of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate ad-hoc committee on “Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry” at a media briefing on Thursday. The chairman disclosed that the 14-member committee constituted on July 23 would investigate billions of dollars spent on turnaround maintenance of the…

THE Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, on Wednesday urged the people of the South-East not to join the planned anti-government protests. This request comes after President Bola Tinubu signed the South East Development Commission bill into law.” Kalu said President Tinubu has shown his resolve to heal the wounds of the past, as the newly signed bill will tackle ecological problems and other related environmental or developmental challenges in the south-east states, and address infrastructural damages suffered by the zone as a result of the civil war. “To my fellow South-Easterners, I implore you not to…