Author: Hamza Rufai

THE Niger State governor, Mohammed Umar Bago has ordered a waiver for employment of qualified doctors and other healthcare professionals in hospitals across the state. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Binta Mamman made this known while briefing the media after the State Executive Council meeting in Government House. Mamman said the state had come to terms with the reality of shortage of healthcare workers that had hindered effective healthcare service delivery in the state, saying that the government was assessing the level of shortage of manpower in various departments in the healthcare sector to know the numbers required. Also…

THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dared the leadership of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to suspend or discipline him. Wike, who spoke exclusively on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday monitored by News Point Nigeria, said he has not seen the party chieftain who will suspend or expel him from the party. “Who will discipline me? I should be the one calling for the discipline of these people who violated the party’s constitution, in the way that the party supported rotation. “Who will suspend me? I want to dare anybody,” Wike…

VICE President Kashim Shettima has called on stakeholders to ensure transparency, equity and fairness in the distribution of fertilizers to farmers. He made the call on Tuesday when he met with Fertilizers Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Shettima said President Bola Tinubu is passionate about reducing the cost of fertilizers for Nigerian farmers as part of efforts to achieve food security in the country. According to him, the President will be happy if the price of fertilizers collapses by 50% after the exercise. The Vice President said the Federal Government is collaborating with…

THE Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Tuesday named the Minister of the Federal Capital (FCT) Nyesom Wike as a member of the party’s campaign council for the Bayelsa governorship poll.  Ganduje also named the former governor of Rivers State as a member of the campaign councils for Kogi and Imo governorship polls billed for later in the year. “The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), H. E. Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, CON, in consultation with the National Working Committee (NWC), has approved the composition of the Bayelsa State National Gubernatorial Campaign Council…

THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has started to make good his threat of demolishing illegal structures in the capital as the Federal Capital Territory Administration on Monday demolished a multimillion-naira duplex located at Plot 226 Cadastral Zone, A02 Wuse 1, Wuse Zone 6 District, for building on an unapproved plot of land. Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the Director, Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, claimed that the building was said to belong to the late Alake of Egba Land, Oba Oye Lipede, but was taken over by Ibrahim Kamba and Ademu Teku, who…

NIGER Delta leader Asari Dokubo on Sunday paid a “congratulatory” visit to the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, at his residence in Abuja. Photos of Dokubo’s visit were made public by the APC on X (formerly Twitter), weeks after Ganduje’s recent emergence as the party’s National Chairman. Though the Niger Delta agitator is not a known APC member, he is a staunch supporter of President Bola Tinubu. On June 16, he visited the President at the State House for a private meeting during which they discussed several issues, including investigations of the allegations of…

DAYS after President Bola Tinubu swore in 45 ministers who will work in his cabinet, some of them who were appointed to head newly created ministries will have to work without physical offices and government officials assigned to them, this newspaper has learnt. Some of the new ministries were created from old and existing ones. For instance, the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, which is currently headed by Gboyega Oyetola, emerged from the Ministry of Transportation currently headed by Sa’idu Alkali. Though the two ministers were sworn in on Monday, Oyetola resumed at the Ministry of Transportation immediately while…

CHICAGO State University (CSU) has given a condition to release the credentials of President Bola Tinubu. Tinubu’s main opponent in the last presidential election, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had filed an application for his rival’s academic record. Atiku had approached a US court at the northern district of Illinois in Chicago, for an order compelling the CSU to release the academic records of Tinubu. Documents sought by Atiku, through his counsel, Angela M. Liu, include record of his admission and acceptance at the university, dates of attendance including degrees, awards and honours attained by Tinubu at…

THE National Bureau of Statistics has said that in Q1 2023, 92.6 per cent of employed persons in Nigeria were in informal employment which includes agriculture, while 89.4 per cent in informal employment which excludes agriculture. The NBS stated this in its “Nigeria Labour Force Survey” published on its website on Thursday. According to the report, Nigeria’s unemployment rate was 5.3 per cent in Q4 2022 and 4.1 per cent in Q1 2023. The figure indicates a significant drop in the unemployment rate, compared to the 33.3 per cent published by the statistics body as Nigeria’s unemployment rate in 2020.…

DIRECTORS of the Department of State Services (DSS) across the six states in the North-East geopolitical zone have asked governors of the zone to prioritise the distribution of relief materials to strengthen security gains in the insurgency-ravaged area. The request was part of the communique reached at the end of the quarterly conference held at the state headquarters of the DSS in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The top secret police operatives had gathered in Maiduguri to discuss the zone’s security and the role of intelligence gathering in the fight against terrorism. After the meeting, the DSS directors in the…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed the Director-General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Abubakar Aziz, to commence 90-day pre-retirement leave. In a statement, Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said the leave is to commence with effect from August 24, 2023, leading to his eventual retirement from service on November 24, 2023. “The President approves the appointment of Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote to serve as the Acting Director-General/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for a 90-day period, with effect from August 24, 2023, after which, a full term of four years…

THE Minister of Defence, Muhammed Badaru Abubakar, and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, have promised “remarkable” changes in Nigeria’s security architecture within one year. The new ministers stated this on Tuesday while addressing journalists on the occasion of the assumption of office at the Ship House, Ministry of Defence, Abuja, barely 24 hours after being sworn in as cabinet members. Badaru assured the public that for the sake of the country, he and the minister of state could not afford to betray the trust given to them by President Bola Tinubu. According to him, within a…

THE Kaduna State government has reduced tuition fees for state-owned tertiary institutions as part of efforts to cushion the effect of the rising cost of living in the wake of the petroleum subsidy removal. The tuition fees were slashed between 30 to 50 percent for students of the Kaduna State University, Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, and Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya among others. Governor Uba Sani, who announced the tuition fees reduction at a news conference on Monday, said the move is in response to an outcry over fees charged by tertiary institutions in the state and its effect…

A DELEGATION from West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc arrived in Niger and met ousted president Mohamed Bazoum on Saturday, as they sought a peaceful rather than military solution to the country’s woes after army officers seized power in a coup. Bazoum was “in good spirits”, a source close to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) told AFP — though he remains under detention and his electricity was still cut off. He has been held with his family at the president’s official residence since the coup, with growing international concern over his conditions in detention. The ECOWAS delegation was also…

GOVERNOR Uba Sani of Kaduna State has commended the Embassy of Qatar and the Qatari-owned Sanabil project for their visionary commitment to erecting a monumental economic city and extensive housing estate with 500,000 units in the state. The initiative is aimed at uplifting the lives of the state’s vulnerable and underserved population. During the groundbreaking ceremony at Millennium City, Governor Sani said, “The Economic City will establish world-class infrastructure, positioning Kaduna as a benchmark for contemporary affordable living. It will offer a secure environment and a conducive atmosphere for thriving business activities.” In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary,…

THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Thursday said 36 officers were killed in Niger State. This newspaper had reported the killings of at least 21 soldiers in an ambush by bandits along the Zungeru-Tegina Road on Sunday. But Director Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said the figure is actually 36, when he gave a breakdown of casualties in the ambush of  the troops in Niger State and an evacuation helicopter that crashed on August 14, 2023. The breakdown was given at the biweekly briefing of the Defence Media Operations. When asked about the cause of the helicopter crash, he…

THE Inspector-General of Police, Ag. IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun PhD, NPM, has affirmed that the NPF will continue to leverage collaboration opportunities towards fostering capacity development and promoting a culture of continuous learning for Police officers. The IGP made this known while receiving a team from the National Defence College, led by the Commandant, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Morankiyo Olotu, during a courtesy visit to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on August 15, 2023. The Commandant expressed the desire of the College to partner the NPF on all areas of mutual benefit. He further disclosed that a total of 98 police officers…

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it has no plan to raise the pump price per litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol. In a terse statement on Monday night, the company urged Nigerians to disregard speculations of a fresh hike in price of the premium product. The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, had on Monday, warned the NNPC Limited against fresh petrol price hike. However, NNPC Limited Spokesman, Muhammad Garbadeen, in a statement, said the company has no intention to increase petrol price for the third consecutive time since the…

THE Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has defended the decision of the commission to employ 300 staff without advertising the positions. Professor Oloyede, who appeared before the House of Representatives on Monday, said the decision was to fill vacancies created due to retirement. The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee is investigating employment racketeering by Ministries, Departments and Agencies and mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). Meanwhile, the committee also observed that 14 individuals at the Federal Character Commission (FCC) received salaries through IPPIS without being placed in any federal…

DOZENS of farmers in villages in Wushishi and Lavun LGAs have reportedly fled their homes since Friday night due to the movements of bandits across the two local governments. Some farmers who spoke with our correspondent via telephone said they fled their homes in heavy rain on Friday night to escape the onslaught of the bandits whom they noted moved in large numbers with cattle. Residents said the bandits passed the night in Akare and Cheji in Wushishi LGA on Friday after the villagers had fled to Wushishi town and the ancient town of Zungeru. The Chairman, Niger State Vigilante…