Author: Adekunle Taofeek

Respite may come the way of the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt. Hon Philip Shaibu over the crisis between him and his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki and others as he has written a letter withdrawing his suit against governor Obaseki. A statement personally signed by Shaibu said his decision was to respect the intervention of several individuals including religious, prominent Edo people and the traditional institution and also appreciated the governor for agreeing on the peace initiatives. The statement reads: “Re: SUIT NO. FHC/ABJ/CS/1027/2023 Between: – Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu and Inspector General of Police, State Security Service,…

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Tribunal Fix Date for Judgement on Presidential Election Petition The Presidential Election Tribunal in Abuja will deliver judgment on petitions challenging the election of President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, September 6. In May, it was reported that the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal merged the petitions submitted by the various political parties while giving the pre-hearing report on the petition and presenting the trial schedule. In May, it was reported that the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal merged the petitions submitted by the various political parties while giving the pre-hearing report on the petition and presenting the trial schedule. Developing story….

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The United Kingdom issued some 132,000 visas to Nigerians in the first half of the year, Jonny Baxter, British Deputy High Commissioner has said. He also said his first few weeks in Nigeria has revealed the people as passionate, full of energy, and with entrepreneurial spirit. “I have been here for three and a half weeks so I’m still very new. Nigeria has been an absolutely amazing place to be and as you will know, Nigeria, is well known to UK,’’ he said. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday Baxter, however, could not…

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President Bola Ahmed Recalls All Nigerian Ambassadors President Bola Tinubu has recalled all Nigeria’s ambassadors, career ambassadors and non-career, says foreign affairs minister, Yusuf Tuggar. The minister confirmed the recall of all ambassadors on Saturday in a statement by his SA, Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir. A recall letter addressed to the now recalled ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK), Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Ishola, was dated August 31, 2023, and signed by the Foreign Affairs minister, Tuggar. The ambassador was directed to return to Nigeria latest by October 31, 2023. It was gathered that similar letters were forwarded to…

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A Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Obiora, has been allegedly detained by personnel of the Department of State Services. According to Peoples Gazette, the CBN deputy governor has spent four nights in the custody of the DSS. The report said the DSS was grilling Obiora in connection with allegations of financial mismanagement under the leadership of the suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele. Emefiele was suspended by President Bola Tinubu on June 9 following an investigation into the affairs of the apex bank. “This is sequel to the ongoing investigation of his office and the planned reforms…

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FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, says the administration has concluded plans to reintroduce monthly sanitation as part of strategies to keep the city clean. The Minister stated this in Abuja after a closed-door meeting with contractors handling different projects in the FCT. He said he had already briefed President Bola Tinubu on the idea that at least two Saturdays in a month would be declared for sanitation from 7a.m. to 10 a.m. He explained that the move would enable companies supporting the FCT with logistics to go to market, and other public places to evacuate refuse. “We must all make sacrifices.…

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President Bola Tinubu has said a comprehensive consensus against the spread of “contagious autocracy” across Africa is the next step forward with respect to how the power in Gabon will play out. The Nigerian leader noted that he is committed to working with other heads of state to defend democracy on the continent. President Tinubu stated this in his first response to the early morning Wednesday coup in Gabon, according to a statement by the Presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale. The News Chronicle had reported how the Gabon military seized power in the early morning of Wednesday, announcing that they had…

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Army officers have appeared on national television in Gabon on Wednesday to announce they have taken over power in the Central African country, BBC reports. They said they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election, in which President Ali Bongo was declared the winner. The soldiers who introduced themselves as members of the CTRI (The Committee of Transition and Restoration of Institutions) said, “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the regime in power.” The electoral commission said Bongo’s main challenger, Albert Ondo Ossa, had come in second place with 30.77%. Bongo’s team have rejected Ondo…

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Chicago State University, United States has put its X page on private after some Nigerians allegedly stormed the page to inquire whether or not President Bola Tinubu truly graduated from the institution. This is in the wake of a petition filed by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, in a United States court to obtain information about Tinubu’s academic records at the Chicago State University. A check on the page which was earlier Public, on Tuesday, showed it has now been put on Private with a message – “These posts are protected. Only confirmed followers have…

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Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has told the Federal Government that he will not beg for his release after being cleared by Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court in Abuja. This was contained in a letter dated August 25, 2023, and signed by Kanu’s lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome, SAN. The letter was made available to our correspondent late night on August 28, 2023. Ozekhome had raised concern over the deplorable condition of Kanu’s detention facility in the custody of the Department of State Services. The lawyer requested that the Chief Judge of…

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Edo State deputy governor, Comrade Phillip Shaibu, made his first official appearance and pledged his loyalty to Governor Godwin Obaseki after a state function on Sunday. Shaibu, who spoke shortly after the thanksgiving service organised to mark the 32nd year anniversary of the creation of Edo State, described Governor Obaseki as his elder brother and would not want to discuss whatever differences they had with the media. The deputy governor has a case pending before an Abuja Federal High Court, where he had gone to seek relief to halt his speculative impeachment by his principal, Governor Obaseki, the Edo State…

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The Director, Press and Public Relations of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Eddy Megwa, has said that the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mrs Hannatu Musawa, who is currently doing her one-year youth service is occupying the ministerial position in breach of the NYSC Act. Speaking with reporters, Megwa confirmed that the minister had been serving for the past eight months in the FCT. He explained that it was against the NYSC Act for any corps member to pick up any government appointment until the one-year service was over. He said Mrs Musawa was originally mobilised in 2001 for…

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President Bola Tinubu has approved the return of a delegation of Islamic leaders (Ulama) to Niger Republic for fresh round of dialogue with the coup leaders. The President gave the approval on Thursday after a meeting with top clerics, led by Sheikh Bala Lau, at the Presidential Villa Abuja. Recall that President Tinubu on August 9 received the Islamic leaders in Abuja and approved their request to intervene in the face-off between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Niger Republic over the coup that ousted the Mohamed Bazoum-led democratic administration. Their intervention move, which followed an earlier…

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Scores of demonstrators on Thursday clashed with security operatives outside the premises of the national headquarters of the All Progressives Congress a few hours before the inauguration of the new zonal officers of the party’s National Working Committee. The protesters engaged the stern-looking policemen in a shouting match after they were stopped from gaining access to the secretariat. The development is coming in the wake of the election of zonal officers of the NWC, which was unveiled by the National Secretary of the ruling party, Senator Ajibola Basiru. Basiru noted that the election of new officers was in line with…

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola, to facilitate the prompt payment of the hospital bills of the victims of the collapsed building in the FCT. It was earlier reported that a two-storey at the Lagos Crescent, in Garki 2, Abuja, collapsed on Wednesday, at about 11.30pm, following a heavy downpour. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, who confirmed the incident in a press statement on Thursday morning, said 37 persons had been rescued, with two of them fatally injured. Wike who visited the scene of the building collapse, together with…

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The Nigerian Air Force says it is set to receive 18 attack helicopters from the United States and Turkey to strengthen its fleet. The Chief of Air Staff, Hassan Abubakar, who made this known during a one-day tour of formations and units under the NAF 115 Special Operations Group in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday, said he was in the state to commiserate with the families of the NAF pilots and crew that died in the helicopter crash in Niger on August 14. Abubakar said the force is saddened by the recent loss of its airplane (MI 171 helicopter)…

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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has approved demolition of Garki, Jabi and other 28 slums which have earlier been surveyed by the Federal Capital Development Authority before this administration. The demolition, according to the FCTA, will affect about 6,000 buildings which have been marked in an effort to rid the territory of shanties and illegal structures. The FCTA said the demolition will affect 30 areas across the Federal Capital Territory. On Monday, after his inauguration as Minister, Wike, who is the immediate past governor of Rivers State, vowed to restore the master plan of FCT, saying that…

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Daniel Bwala, an aide to the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has said that President Bola Tinubu may be forced to sacrifice the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike if he goes ahead with his planned demolition of structures in the FCT. The News Chronicle reports that Wike, upon assuming office on Monday, vowed to demolish houses illegally constructed within the nation’s capital, no matter whose property would be affected. He said, “All those people who are distorting the master-plan of Abuja, too bad. If you know you have built where you are not supposed to…

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British police said on Tuesday they had charged former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke with bribery offences, saying they suspected she had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts. Alison-Madueke, 63, was a key figure in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, serving as petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015. She also acted as president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” said Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit. “These…

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President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting with some critical stakeholders in the ECOWAS intervention in Niger Republic impasse as part of efforts to defuse the political crisis. Tinubu is the chairman of the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States. Attending the ongoing meeting taking place at State House, Abuja, were the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray; leader of the ECOWAS delegation to Niger Republic’s military junta, former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), and the National Security Adviser to the President, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. Details…

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Popular chef, Hilda Effiong Bassey, aka Hilda Baci, has revealed that she auditioned for Big Brother Naija reality show five times before staging her record-breaking cooking marathon. She said her plan was to undergo the cooking challenge after she must have participated in BBNaija but wasn’t selected to be on the show. The Guinness World Record holder disclosed this while appearing on Cool FM Nigeria’s programme, The Big Friday Show, hosted by reality star, Tacha. She said, “I actually tried to get on Big Brother [Naija] for a while. I think I auditioned about four or five times. “The plan…

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AS food prices continue to soar, the new Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Monday, acknowledged that one of the biggest problems in the country is hunger and vowed to tackle it head-on. Kyari made this assertion while he assumed office at the headquarters of the Ministry in Abuja along with the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi. He said: “It is a long road to where I am seated here I think it started 27 years ago. I won’t bore you with history, all I can say is I am ready…

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The newly sworn-in Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike, has resumed office. The News Chronicle reports that Wike, the immediate-past Governor of Rivers State, resumed on Monday with the minister of state, Mariya Mahmud. The duo arrived at FCTA at about 1:20 pm after the swearing-in ceremony at the presidential villa. The former Rivers state governor was accompanied by a large crowd into the FCTA. Speaking at a press conference, Wike vowed to return the FCT to its original masterplan. He said land allottees who have been given Certificates of Occupancy but failed to develop would also…

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Lateef Fagbemi (Ogun) and Ali Pate (Bauchi), have been sworn-in as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare respectively. The oath of office was administered by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, on the second batch. The second set include: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf M. Tuggar; Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri; Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, and Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari. After their oath of office, they shook hands with President Bola Tinubu. The inauguration of the…

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The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested the Manager of Abuja-Kaduna Train Services, Pascal Nnorli, over the leaked memo warning of impending terror attack on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line. The News Chronicle had reported that the DSS issued a security alert on a grand plot by bandits to attack the Abuja-Kaduna train service. According to an online newspaper, Newspoint Nigeria on Monday, the manager was arrested along with the Operations Manager, Victor Adamu, and other staff members. The news portal further revealed that the manager was arrested since last Thursday along with the operation manager and another staff named…

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Integrity Group of Nigerian Indigenous Shipowners Association (NISA), on Saturday, said the ministry of Maritime and Blue Economy is long overdue and would create jobs, sustainable growth and wealth creation for the country. The group also said that the nation’s maritime sector will thrive under the newly appointed minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. In a press statement, the group also extends its warmest congratulations to Honorable Bunmi Ojo on his well-deserved appointment as the head of the newly created but long overdue Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. While it is recognised that Hon. Ojo’s background and…

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The Federal Government has inaugurated a solar-powered electric vehicle charging station at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) as part of efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuel vehicles that pollute the environment and contribute to global warming. Speaking at the event, yesterday, the Director General, National Automative Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr. Jelani Aliyu, stated that the idea was to deepen technological advancement in Nigeria’s automotive industry. He stated that with the effects of global warming and climate change on the environment, many countries are now moving away from fossil fuel vehicles to electric vehicles “This informs…

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Natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the auspices of Abuja Original Inhabitant Youth Empowerment Organization (AOIYEO), have called on the former governor of River state, Barr Nyesom Wike who was just appointed as minister of the capital city to repeat the kind of infrastructural development he bequeathed to Rivers State capital, Port Harcourt in Abuja. This call was made in a statement signed by the president of the group, commandant Isaac David. According to the statement, the natives said they were happy to welcome Wike to the FCT as the minister because the city being the seat of…

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Human rights lawyer Femi Falana said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has been dragged to court over the floating of Naira currency. Falana disclosed this while speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Friday. Recall that the apex bank reportedly told Deposit Money Banks to freely float the naira against the dollar and other international currencies in June. The policy was announced at a time when the naira traded between 730 and 755 to the dollar at the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window. But, Falana described the decision of the CBN to float the naira as ‘illegal’ and…

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