Former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd) will today, Tuesday be arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja on one count of illegal possession of firearms.
The Federal Government is prosecuting the former NSA for being in possession of firearms without license. The offence is punishable under section 27(I)(a)(I) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004.
The Department of State Services had on 16 July 2015 searched the former NSA's residences in Abuja and Sokoto where operatives reportedly recovered...
Monday, 31 August 2015
The convoy of the Senate Minority Leader and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio was on Monday morning involved in a collision with a Chevrolet Suburban van belonging to the Embassy of the USA.
The accident occurred around 7.20 hours at Bolingo Hotel Junction along Abuja - Airport road when Akpabio's convoy attempted to beat the traffic light.
According to the Head of Media Relations and Strategy, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Mr Bisi Kazeem, seven adult males were involved in the accident, three of whom were injured...
Former Catholic Archbishop of Lagos and ex-President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Anthony Olubunmi Cardinal Okojie has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to invite treasury looters for dialog.
He said that Buhari's efforts to recover looted funds would be more successful if looters were engaged in private as against castigating them publicly.
The retired cleric who spoke with The Punch correspondent also argued that appealing to the conscience of looters through dialog would save government the huge cost of litigation.
But the question...
The Ministry of Power has said that gas pipeline vandalism has virtually stopped since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power on 29 May 2015 because of the administration's constant engagement with the communities involved.
Godknows Igali, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power while addressing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa debunked insinuations that power supply increased because the hydro stations at Kainji and Shiroro were receiving more water from rainfall as they only supplied 20% of the total power generation.
He...
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday warned against anything that could stop Nigeria from being certified polio free by the World Health Organization in 2017.
To this end, he has ordered the relevant agencies to raise the tempo of the fight against the polio virus. He gave the order while receiving the polio high level advocacy team at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, told State House correspondents after the closed-door meeting that “the President directed us to...
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo left Abuja on Monday for Cote D'Ivoire to represent President Muhammadu Buhari at the inauguration of Nigeria's Dr Akinwumi Adeshina as President of the African Development Bank, AfDB.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande said that Osinbajo would deliver a speech at the event on Tuesday.
Adeshina who is Nigeria' s immediate past agriculture minister is the first Nigerian to be elected president of the AfDB.
VP Osinbajo is expected back in Abuja on Tuesday....
Senators Abu Ibrahim, Kabir Marafa, Ajayi Boroffice, Olugbenga Ashafa and Suleiman Hunkuni have withdrawn their suit challenging the elections of Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu as Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively.
The five senators had sought the orders of an Abuja high court to remove Saraki and Ekweremadu from office for forging Senate Standing Orders 2015 and using same to maneuver their way into office.
At the resumed sitting of the court on Monday, the plaintiffs who were represented by their lawyer, Chief...
New Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, David Babachir Lawal has said that his appointment by President Buhari was not based on ethnic or religious considerations, but purely on merit. He said the same thing applied to other appointments so far made by the president.
He spoke on the backdrop of complaints from Southern Nigeria that Buhari's appointments have been skewed in favor of the North. Of the 31 appointments made so far by Buhari, only 5 have come from the South.
Speaking after taking his oath of office on Monday, the SGF...
Sunday, 30 August 2015
A band of gunmen on horseback suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists last week killed at least 68 people and injured many others when they attacked Baanu village in Nganzai local government area of Borno State.
Eyewitnesses said the militants rode into the village on Friday night, shooting indiscriminately. The villagers fled into the bush. They returned the next day only to be confronted with the grim reality that more than sixty of their kinsmen had either been slaughtered or shot.
Governor Kashim Shettima confirmed the attack while addressing...
In a swift reaction to the statement issued earlier in the day by former president Goodluck Jonathan's erstwhile ministers, the presidency has declared that the current war being waged against corruption is not negotiable.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said this in a statement he released to newsmen in reaction to an earlier statement by Jonathan's ex ministers.
He said, "this war against corruption knows no friend nor foe. There is no intention to deny anyone of their good name where they...
Ministers who served under Goodluck Jonathan have told President Muhammadu Buhari to desist from his unprovoked attacks on the former president. They also asked Buhari to give Jonathan the respect due to him as a former president of the country.
In a joint statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the former ministers maintained that it was wrong for Buhari to cast aspersions on Jonathan and the ministers who served under him, while discrediting the monumental achievements of that administration.
The statement which was signed by former National Planning...
An intending pilgrim has died at Kaduna airport while riding in a bus to the tarmac for boarding. The deceased pilgrim identified only as Zainab is reported to have a history of asthma, although it is not clear whether she died of the ailment.
According to the Amirul Hajj of Kaduna State, Alhaji Zubairu Jibril who broke the news to pressmen at the Mando Hajj camp on Sunday, Zainab hailed from Kagarko local government area of the state.
The deceased has been buried according to Islamic rites....
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday assured parents and relations of the abducted Chibok girls that his government was making genuine efforts to rescue them.
Buhari spoke through Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima during a meeting with the girls' relations in government house, Maiduguri. He assured that efforts were being intensified to ensure the safe coming home of the girls who were kidnapped from their hostel on 14 April 2014.
Governor Shettima said he called the meeting on the orders of the President.
“I have called all of you here today...
The Department of State Services, DSS said on Sunday that it has arrested key Boko Haram suspects including a commander linked with suicide attacks in various parts of the country.
The DSS said that a major suspect, Usman Shuaibu and other suspects were picked up in Lagos, Gombe, Kano, Plateau and Enugu states between July and August.
A statement issued by the DSS said, "of particular note was the arrest on 8th July, 2015 in Gombe state of those responsible for the coordination and execution of the suicide attacks in Potiskum, Kano, Zaria and...
Saturday, 29 August 2015
An investigative panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to uncover and recover stolen funds has reportedly uncovered a $6.9m fraud allegedly committed by key officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
The panel discovered that the money was purportedly used to procure three 40 feet mobile stages for the former President's use during public speaking events.
Findings by the panel reportedly revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan, his then Chief Security Officer, Gordon Obua and former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison Madueke...
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON on Saturday said it has so far, flown 18909 people to Saudi Arabia for the 2015 pilgrimage.
It said that about 76,000 Muslims from across the country are expected to perform this year's Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
NAHCON's Director of Public Affairs, Alhaji Uba Mana told News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the exercise which began on August 23 has been hitch free.
The airlift is expected to be rounded off on September 15th....
The opposition People's Democratic Party, PDP has accused President Muhammadu Buhari and his ruling APC of destroying the economy and deceiving Nigerians with empty promises.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the PDP said that the GDP has declined under Buhari with attendant hardship on the people.
Metuh in the statement said that “the shambolic state of the nation’s economy within the period, which represents the worst in the nation’s contemporary history, is a direct fallout of uncertainty...
Following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force Dornier 228 jet on Saturday, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar has set up a panel to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
A statement issued in Abuja on Saturday and signed by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters,
Air Commodore Dele Alonge confirmed this info.
The statement also said that the Air Chief would cancel his trip to Portharcourt to visit the crash site and condole with the families of the crash victims.
The statement added that...
Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has expressed shock and sadness over Saturday's crash of a Nigerian Air Force Dornier 228 aircraft that claimed 7 lives.
In a statement signed by his spokesman, Samuel Aruwan in Kaduna on Saturday, the governor condoled with the Chief of Air Staff, the Nigerian Air Force and the bereaved families over the tragic incident.
“We offer our deep condolences to the families, who have been bereaved by this incident.
“May Almighty God, in His infinite mercies, grant their souls eternal rest and uphold their...
40,000 police officers within the ranks of constable and Inspector are to be promoted in the next two months. The Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase disclosed this on Saturday, during a private visit to Lagos.
, “There has been a backlog of promotions between the constable and inspector cadre, involving about 36,000 of them. The two groups are already undergoing their promotional courses.
“Within the next two months, about 40,000 policemen between the ranks of constable and inspector will undertake promotion exercises and be moved up...
Chad on Saturday executed the ten 🔟 Boko Haram terrorists who were convicted by a court in N'djamena by firing squad.
Their execution came barely a day after they were convicted on charges of criminal conspiracy, killings, wilful destruction with explosives, fraud, illegal possessions of arms and ammunition, as well as using psychotropic substances.
They were put on trial on Wednesday over their roles in the twin bomb attacks that killed 38 people in N'djamena in June this year.
A judicial source told AFP that “they were executed this morning...
The Abuja command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA said on Saturday that it plans to embark on an anti nacortics campaign to reduce drug trafficking in the city.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Peter Adegbe told News Agency of Nigeria, NAN that the command plans to sensitize the public against drug traffickers.
He said that the command has beefed up surveillance in Abaji, Gwagwalada, Bwari and Abuja municipal area Council to checkmate drug trafficking.
“The FCT command will not allow these agents of wares of...
The Department of State Services has dislodged a spy network working for Boko Haram insurgents at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
According to a statement issued by an operative, Mr Tony Opuiyo in Abuja on Saturday, the service arrested a 14 year old suspected spy, Sulaiymon Abdulrahman who hails from Kogi State.
The service urged the public to report all suspicious movements to the authorities.
It added that collaboration between the DSS and aviation security at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja resulted in the arrest....
A Nigeria Air Force Dornier 228 aircraft this Saturday crashed at the Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna.
Witnesses said the aircraft which took of at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Kaduna and was flying to Abuja before you it came down in the early hours of Saturday.
The plane is reported to have crashed into a residential building. Seven people were on board but survivors are not expected.
Air Force spokesman, Dele Alonge confirmed the crash....
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday expressed his satisfaction with assurances from the management of Centenary City Plc that all the original inhabitants of the site have been compensated in full.
The president spoke after he was briefed by the Chairman of the company's board of directors, Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar (retd) and his management team.
The president lauded the Centenary City's main development partners for being confident enough in Nigeria to decide to invest over $18b in the project.
Buhari equally welcomed the disclosure by the Board...
Friday, 28 August 2015
Boko Haram terrorists during the week killed 28 people in remote farming and fishing villages in Borno State, northeast Nigeria.
According to the civilian JTF, 24 people were killed in a Tuesday night attack on Marfunudi village, about eighty kilometers outside the state capital, Maiduguri. The militants were said to have slit the throats of their victims.
Witnesses said the militants also attacked Kafa, a fishing village where they killed four people....
These under listed universities and colleges are illegal and certificates obtained from them will not be recognized for the purposes of National Youth Service Corps program, employment or further studies.
The National Universities Commission, NUC, said so in its weekly bulletin dated August 24.
See the list below.
1. University of Accountancy and Management Studies, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
2. Christians of Charity American University of Science and Technology Nkpor, Anambra State or any of its campuses.
3. University of Industry, Yaba,...
Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adeshina on Friday reacted to criticism that President Buhari's appointments so far have been in favor of the North.
Speaking on Ray Power 100.5 FM's Political Platform, Adeshina said that Buhari's appointments would soon balance out as the President was aware of the Federal Character principle.
He however, noted that the appointments so far made have been on merit as the President wants to work with the very best of Nigerians.
“Nobody can fault the fact that those appointed...
Troops of the 25 Task Force Brigade, Nigerian Army in a joint operation with the Nigerian Air Force have discovered and destroyed a factory used by terrorists in Borno State to produce Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs.
The information is contained in a statement signed by Army spokesman, Col Sani Usman and made available to News Agency of Nigeria, NAN in Abuja on Friday.
The statement said that the factory was found at Nyaleri village in Damboa local government of Borno State.
“The troops of 25 Task Force Brigade Nigerian Army achieved an...
Sandralia Hotel, Jabi, Abuja will this Saturday host the first pool party audition of the Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja beauty pageant
According to the organizers of the show, this year's event will feature cultural carnival and seminars. Forms are still on sale for the pageant which is open to ladies from age 17 to 26.
The second audition will hold at Top Rank Hotel, on September 5, while the grande finale is for October 31st at Abuja Transcorp Hilton.
The winner will go home with a brand new car and a ticket to represent Nigeria at an international...
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet has predicted rains, cloudy skies and thunderstorms for Abuja and the North Central cities of Makurdi, Lafiya, Jalingo and Yola on Saturday morning.
NiMet's Central Forecast Office, CFO, issued the prediction in Abuja on Friday. It added that widespread localized rains would be witnessed in the area in the afternoon and evening....
There are rumblings in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC over President Muhammadu Buhari's latest appointments.
Sources within the party who spoke to The Punch complained that once again, the appointments were skewed in favor of the North, adding that something must be done fast to avoid a backlash from the other parts of the country.
“The President does not consult before making most of these appointments and I can tell you that Nigerians are going to term the party and the President as a northern party and the President of Northern...
Sixty-five Nigerian companies have been granted licenses to build modular refineries by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The 65 were selected from a list of 285 that applied for the license.
Modular refineries are small refineries with capacities of 1,000 to 10,000 barrels per day refining capacity. They can be easily assembled and taken apart....
Daughter of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and newly appointed Adamawa State Commissioner for Health, Dr Fatima Atiku will not be taking home her salaries and allowances. This is because she wants them to be used in revitalizing the health care system in the state.
Speaking to newsmen on Friday in Yola after her swearing in. Dr Fatima Atiku said,
"I am very grateful to the governor for appointing me to head the Health Ministry.
"The ministry is the most challenging because of the insurgency problem that had caused some damage to the health...
A court in N'djamena, Chad on Friday sentenced 10 convicted Boko Haram terrorists to death for masterminding the double suicide bombings in the capital city in June.
In the first ever trial in Chad of members of the Nigeria based Islamist terror group, the court ruled that "the 10 Boko Haram defendants have been condemned to death."...
Thursday, 27 August 2015
States burdened with salary debts now have a reprieve as the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has approved the request by commercial banks to grant loan facilities to indebted states to enable them to offset backlogs of salary arrears.
The National Executive Council, NEC, had at its meeting in June charged the CBN to collaborate with other stakeholders to find out ways to liquidate salary arrears owed by states and local governments.
The apex bank said that so far, only two states, Kwara and Zamfara have met the conditions for the disbursement of...
Civil servants in the country have been warned that classified documents must be handled with utmost confidentiality. The warning was contained in a circular titled "Handling of Classified Documents," and issued to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs in Abuja on Thursday.
The circular signed by Alhaji Muhammad Manga, Assistant Director (Media Relations), Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation observed that some officers were in the habit of misusing classified documents including those of the Federal Executive Council....
Following bickering over alleged fraud in the Centenary City Project, President Muhammadu Buhari will this Friday meet with members of the board of Centenary City Plc.
Chairman of the board and former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar will be leading the board members to the meeting.
This was disclosed to newsmen on Thursday by the Permanent Secretary, General Services, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Muhammad Bukar. He was at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to brief President Buhari on the activities of his...
The Federal Government on Thursday announced the appointment of Engr Babachir David Lawal as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF. He succeeds Senator Pius Anyim Pius.
Also appointed was Alhaji Abbah Kyari as President Buhari's Chief of Staff.
Other appointments as contained in a statement by Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adeshina are
Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd.) – Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service; Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi – Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service;...
Amid dwindling hopes for their rescue, relatives of over 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants from their school, on Thursday marked 500 days of the unfortunate event.
Amid increasing use of females for suicide bombings by the militants, hopes are receding for the rescue of the Chibok Girls, despite the imminent deployment of the 8700 troops Multinational Joint Task Force assembled by the countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
Boko Haram terrorists had stormed Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State on the night of 14 April...
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his government is working to stop the country's dependence on oil exports by rapidly diversifying the economy.
He spoke on Thursday while receiving new ambassadors in Abuja. He said that Nigeria had over-depended on oil in the last three decades to the detriment of agriculture and other sectors....
A total of N511. 8b was shared among Federal, States and local governments as revenue for July 2015. This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Anastasia Nwaobia on Wednesday while addressing newsmen on the outcome of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC meeting.
Nwaobia said the amount shared comprised the month's net statutory revenue of N433.5b and the exchange gain of N6.4b.
"Therefore, the total revenue distributable for the month of July including VAT of N74.9 billion is N511.8 billion,"
She...
A member of the Yobe State elections petition tribunal, Justice Audu Bako has died. The panel has been hearing petitions seeking to annul the election of Gov Ibrahim Gaidam.
Justice Bako is reported to have died in the afternoon of Wednesday 26 August 2015 at Primus Hospital, Karu, Abuja following a brief illness. He has already been buried in Nasarawa, his home town according to Islamic rites.
The late Justice Bako as a member of the 3-man panel of the Yobe State Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal had only on August 12, heard how the EFCC...
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Opposition People's Democratic Party, PDP is calling on Nigerians to join its folds, a few months after losing power at the center.
The party said that interested Nigerians were free to join without any conditions, adding that old and new members would be treated equally.
The call was made in Abuja on Wednesday by the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus. The occasion was the inauguration of the PDP e-Membership Registration Committee headed by Chief Raymond Dokpesi.
“I’m appealing to all Nigerians to come and join us. There...
Mr Dan Abia, Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC has described the allegation that 183 billion naira is missing from the accounts of the commission as untrue.
Abia fielded questions from State House correspondents on Wednesday after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the activities of the commission. He said that although he was not the Managing Director of the commission during the period covered by the periodic check report of the auditor General of the Federation which alleged that N183b was unaccounted for, he...
The Police Service Commission, PSC, has redeployed the commissioners of police in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The PSC in a statement said,
“The Police Service Commission approved the deployment in line with Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the commission to appoint officers to states as Commissioners of Police, CP.”
Vanguard reports that officers affected by the exercise are ;
Emmanuel Ojukwu, formerly Force Public Relations Officer, who has been deployed to Kogi State and Ikechukwu...
The contract for delivering crude oil to the refineries in Warri, Portharcourt, and Kaduna has been canceled by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
The decision was announced on Tuesday by the company's
Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe,
Also terminated were the offshore processing agreements entered into in January this year with three companies, Duke Oil Company Inc., Aiteo Energy Resources Limited and Sahara Energy Resources Limited.
The corporation said that the contracts were canceled because...
The presidency has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari is not running a government of probes, but of due process, law and order.
Vanguard reports that Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said that President Buhari would not shy away from probing Goodluck Jonathan in the face of allegations of fraud and corruption.
He was reacting to an allegation of selective probe against President Buhari by a Northern leader, Tanko Yakassai.
The presidential spokesman said that Buhari is not actually probing...
In pursuance of his determination to stamp out corruption in the public service, President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday set up a 13-man panel to probe the administrations of late President Umar Musa Yar'Adua and former President Goodluck Jonathan on the procurement of arms and ammunitions for the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The committee was constituted by the National Security Adviser, Major-Gen Babagana Monguno (Retd) on the orders of President Buhari and is expected to identify irregularities and make recommendations for streamlining the procurement...
All is set for the first audition of the reality TV show, "Dance With Peter," which is to be held in Abuja.
According to Globacom, sponsor of Africa's hottest dance competition, the event holds this Friday at Shehu Musa Yar'adua Center in Central Business District, Abuja.
Thereafter, the audition train driven by Peter Okoye move to Accra for the Ghana phase scheduled for September 1 at the National Theatre, South Liberia Road.
The next stop will be Benin, Edo State, next week Friday, at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Center, Airport Road, Benin City....
Two male suicide bombers suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists on Tuesday night detonated their explosive devices at a military checkpoint around Gomari Airport roundabout, killing themselves and a soldier.
Four passers-by were injured by the bomb blast which occurred barely an hour after the daily curfew had been lifted by 9.30 pm
Eyewitness accounts said that the suicide bombers who came in a tricycle were being checked by the soldiers on duty when they detonated their explosive devices, killing themselves and a soldier....
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State is bereaved. His foster father and former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, Mallam Yahaya Hamza passed away in Kaduna on Tuesday after a brief illness.
A statement issued by El-Rufai's spokesman, Samuel Aruwan said that the governor
"will miss the wisdom and counsel of this great man who became a father to him and guided his steps with tender firmness,”
He said that the governor played Allah to grant the departed aljanah firdaus and the family, strength.
The one time chairman of...
The Rivers State PDP caucus in the National Assembly is accusing security agencies of interference in its cases before the state elections petitions tribunal. The allegation is contained in a petition which the caucus comprising of PDP's 3 senators and 13 House of Representatives members wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The lawmakers accused the Nigerian Army and Department of State Services, DSS of interfering in the various election petition cases involving the party at the tribunal.
They alleged that soldiers and DSS operatives are conniving...
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
A total of 14 women on Monday lost their lives in two separate boat accidents in Sarkin Pawa River and River Guni both in Muniya local government area of Niger State.
Mr Bala Elikana, Niger State Police Public Relations Officer confirmed the incident to News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
"We have asked our Marine Police to get us detailed report of what transpired., " he said. He added that the marine police was meeting with boat owners and drivers to ensure safety on the waterways.
Reports have it that 11 women of the same family drowned in the Sarkin...
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday assured that his administration was prosecuting the war on terrorism as planned.
He spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja during a joint press conference with visiting President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic.
He said that having identified it's priorities as security and economy, his government is doing its best under the prevailing circumstances.
“We are doing our best under the circumstances in Nigeria. This government has just arrived, we are re-organising the military, they are on ground.
“Especially,...
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday scolded the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, for approving outrageous remunerations for political office holders.
Speaking at a meeting with RMAFC Chairman, Elias Mbam and his team, the president admonished the organization to seek the proper interpretation of its powers and address the outcry of Nigerian people against the unreasonably high payments of political office holders.
He urged the Chairman and his team to go back to the drawing board and come up with humane proposals...
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday blamed previous administrations for the current ugly situation in which the country is being cheated out of billions of naira every year for alleged oil subsidy claims.
The president expressed his disappointment over the way Nigeria's oil industry has been run in the last decade plus, saying that if development of refining capacity and petroleum products distribution network had kept pace with national demand, there would have been no need for the massive subsidies being presently paid to importers.
Buhari...
The Police Service Commission, PSC, and the Force Headquarters, Nigeria Police have set up a monitoring team to implement President Muhammadu Buhari's directive to withdraw police officers attached to unauthorized persons and VIPs who are not entitled to their services. Such personnel are to be deployed to tackle the security challenges facing the country.
According to the Chairman, Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro who spoke to the press in Abuja on Tuesday,
“the PSC, in collaboration with the Inspector General Police, has concluded...
The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC is presently trimming down the pay packages of the President, National Assembly members, governors, and all elected public servants in line with current economic realities.
The Chairman of RMAFC, Mr Elias Mbam disclosed this to pressmen in Abuja on Tuesday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We are here to brief the President on the activities of the commission, the challenges and the way forward.
“The President advised us to ensure that we use all legitimate means...
The Acting Director of Defense Information, Col Rabe Abubakar has said that military chiefs from the Lake Chad Basin Commission have concluded plans for the imminent deployment of the 8700 troops of the Multi-National Joint Task Force.
He said in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday that a meeting of military chiefs in N'djamena, Chad concluded the plans for the deployment. Present at the meeting were defense chiefs from Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroun and Republic of Benin as well as the Commander of the Multi-National JTF and other high military...
The police in Kubwa, in Bwari Local Council of Abuja have arrested a 38 years old security guard for being in a sexual relationship with a girl of 9 years. The security guard works and lives at a church in Phase 2 Site 2, Kubwa.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the police that he had been in a sexual relationship with the primary 4 pupil for over a year. He said that he usually picked up the little girl at an agreed point after school hours. From there, they would proceed to his house.
However, trouble started for the randy guard...
Health corpers doing their NYSC program in Bwari Area Council, Abuja are protesting the failure of the council authorities to pay their monthly allowances since March this year. The corpers from Batch C of the National Youth Service Corps began their service in December 2014.
The authorities had requested the services of health care youth corpers whom they posted to the various health facilities in the area council. They placed the medical doctors on monthly allowances of N100,000 (one hundred thousand naira) and the pharmacists, nurses, laboratory...
Sunday, 23 August 2015
President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to host UN Sec-Gen, Ban Ki Moon at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today, Monday 24 August 2015 at midday.
The information is contained in a media advisory signed by Mr Oche Egwa for the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity. The statement said Buhari and the UN boss will address a joint press conference after a closed-door session.
Thereafter, Ban Ki Moon will return to the Presidential Villa for a dinner to be hosted in his honor by President Buhari....
President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to Nigerian lawyers to support his government's war on corruption and help return the country to the path of uprightness. He urged lawyers who often defend human rights to also see corruption as a violation of human rights.
Buhari identified corruption as the major reason why Nigerians suffer all manner of derivations
.
“For the masses of our people, the millions still wallowing in want and diseases, corruption is a major reason why they cannot go to school; why they cannot be gainfully employed; and why...
Feelers from government circles indicate that the case of former Nigeria Immigration Service boss, David Shikfu Parradang is like that of the proverbial hunter's dog that wouldn't hear his master's whistle.
A subsequent statement to the one that announced Parradang's dismissal issued on 21 August 2015 and signed by a director/secretary in the ministry in charge of Civil Defence, Fire Service, Immigration and Prisons Services Board, Mr A. A. Ibrahim gave more insight into Parradang's suspension.
His number one sin according to the statement was...
Faljari village, 45kms east of Borno State capital Maiduguri was the scene of a fierce gun battle on Saturday between troops in the convoy of Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai and suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
The Army Chief was in Borno State to motivate the front line troops in the war against the insurgents, said Army spokesman, Col Sani Usman.
At the end of the firefight, 10 insurgents and a soldier were killed. Five militants were captured while four others managed to escape.
"The terrorists encountered an overwhelming firepower...
Saturday, 22 August 2015
The fight between the immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim and the Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the South South, Dr Cairo Ojougbo is getting messier.
Dr Ojougbo who had alleged that former President Goodluck Jonathan was deceived into starting the Centenary City Project by Senator Pius Anyim is now raising an alarm that assassins have been contracted to eliminate him.
He has therefore instructed his lawyer, Mr Kayode Ajulo to write two petitions on the alleged assassination...
United Nations Sec-Gen, Ban Ki- Moon is expected in Nigeria today, Sunday 23 August 2015. According to a statement released by the UN on Friday, Ki-moon who will be received by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja will thereafter engage in other field activities.
“The Secretary-General will travel to Abuja, Nigeria, over the weekend. During his visit, he will meet with President Buhari and other federal and state government officials. He will also meet with leaders from human rights, religious, civil society and business communities.
“The Secretary-General...
Friday, 21 August 2015
Two Nigerian soldiers lost their lives on Friday when they stepped on a landmine as their team advanced through a Boko Haram stronghold.
According to Army spokesman, Col Sani Usman, two other troops were also critically injured in the incident. The incident happened as troops of the 5 Brigade Explosives Ordinance Division, EOD, ran into landmines as they advanced towards Dikwa in Marte local government area of Borno State.
The troops also lost a Mowag armored personnel carrier at the location. The fallen soldiers were quickly evacuated while...
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the immediate suspension of the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr David Parradang. According to a statement signed by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Interior, Mr Yusuf Isiaka Alhaji,, the Deputy Comptroller General of immigration, Mr Martin Kure Abeshi has been directed to take over the affairs of the service.
The suspension of Parradang may not be unconnected with the recent scandal over the issuance of Nigerian Visa to wanted ISIS terrorist, Ahmed al-Assir in Lebanon.
David...
Five suspected rapists and four thieves are now in police net. This was disclosed on Friday by the spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mr Zubairu Abubakar.
He told News Agency of Nigeria that the rape suspects committed the offense in Rigasa area of Kaduna metropolis. He added that the suspects were arrested on Wednesday August 19, after complaints by the victims' parents.
“Among the suspects, were two who raped a 13-year-old girl, while three others raped a 20-year-old girl. Two other suspects involved in the act are at large.
“The...
Hi President Muhammadu Buhari believes that as Nigeria and her allies intensify the war against Boko Haram terrorists, a quick end to the insurgency can be expected.
He spoke on Thursday in Abuja while receiving Chad's Minister of Foreign Affairs and President Idris Deby's special envoy, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
President Buhari said that with increased morale, better logistics and equipment and training of troops at the front lines of the fight against the insurgents, he expects a quick end to Boko Haram.
He also said that Nigeria and Chad being...
Wednesday, 19 August 2015
79 bags of dried weeds weighing 817 kilograms which reportedly tested positive for Indian hemp were last Monday, found in a warehouse belonging to Mr Chukwuka Ugbai in Bakko village, Kwali Area Council, Abuja.
The discovery was made by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, following a tip-off.
Mr Ugbai who owned up to illicit drug dealing said that he took to the business to fend for his family.
The Abuja command of the NDLEA said that Ugbai would soon be charged to court....
It was a case of almost there for 25 years old John Okafor who was ferrying a cash of 48,450,000 naira from Onitsha, South East Nigeria to Abuja last Monday. He was nabbed in a commercial bus at the Abaji end of the Abuja Lokoja expressway by anti narcotics operatives on routine patrol.
However, Okafor denied ownership of the money. He said that he was on an errand for an Onitsha-based Bureau de change to purchase US dollars in Abuja.
“I work for a bureau de change in Onitsha. I was asked to purchase dollars at the foreign exchange market in...
The Nigerian Security And Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, has been assured of the cooperation of the Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army in ensuring security in Abuja.
The Commander, Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, Big-Gen
Musa Yusuf made the pledge during a courtesy visit to the FCT Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Patrick Ukpan as part of his ongoing familiarization tour of security formations in Abuja.
He said that the Guards Brigade which oversees security in Abuja will synergize with other security agencies to ensure maximum security in the Federal Capital...
Nigerian embassy officials are by now, scratching their heads to explain how they granted a valid Nigerian Visa to wanted ISIS terrorist, Ahmed al-Assir.
This is because President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered full scale investigations into the circumstances surrounding the issuance of Nigerian Visa to al-Assir who is on the wanted list of several national governments over terrorist activities.
The man was arrested at Rafik Hariri International Airport, Beirut on Saturday as he attempted to board a flight with a fake Palestinian passport and a...
A sizeable number of Boko Haram Islamist terrorists were on Tuesday destroyed by troops from the 26 Task Force Brigade, Gwoza, Borno State as they fled from Nigeria Airforce's aerial bombardment of the Sambisa forest.
Director, Army Public Relations, Col Sani Usman said on Wednesday in Abuja that a lot of terrorists were killed in the operation while their weapons were either destroyed or recovered.
The terrorists were fleeing on motorbikes and pickup vans mounted with assorted weapons like rocket-propelled grenades, and antiaircraft guns. Six...
The Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi has resigned.
He did not give any reasons for the decision which is to take effect immediately.
President Buhari in accepting the resignation thanked Abdullahi for his hard work over the past six years.
A successor is yet to be named....
The Managing Director of Assets Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, Mr Mustapha Chike-Obi has been sent packing with his management team by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari appointed Ahmed Lawan Kuru to replace Chike-Obi as the Managing Director of the corporation. Also appointed were Kola Ayeye, Eberechukwu Uneze and Aminu Ismail as executive directors.
According to presidential spokesman Femi Adeshina, the appointments are with immediate effect....
Tuesday, 18 August 2015
Saturday, 15 August 2015
President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the claim by some Igbo leaders that he is being teleguided by certain forces in prosecuting the fight against corruption. A group operating as Igbo Leaders of Thought, under the leadership of Prof Ben Nwabueze had said in a recent statement that President Buhari's anti corruption war was being directed by an invisible government controlled by Rtd Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalam Abubakar, and Olusegun Obasanjo.
Reacting through the Senior Special Adviser, Media Affairs, Garba Shehu, the presidency...
Ohuhu youths in collaboration with Ohuhu Welfare Union are at this time holding their cultural get together at the Education Resource Center, Wuse Zone 7, Abuja.
We have seen the display by Ojemba cultural dance group. Right now, Ohuhu children are showing their acting skills in a drama display.
Details later...
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday in Abuja, described the death of deputy governor of Borno State, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha as sad and shocking.
In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adeshina, Buhari sympathized with the government and people of Borno State of over their huge loss. He also prayed for a peaceful repose for the soul of the deceased.
The deputy governor reportedly died in his hotel room while on official assignment to represent the Gov Kashim Shettima at the convocation ceremony of Modibbo...
Veteran actor, Mr Bruno Iwuoha was at the Brekete Family Show in Abuja on Friday to thank Nigerians and Brekete Family for their assistance and prayers during his period of illness.
Mr Iwuoha had solicited for help on the show a couple of weeks ago over his failing health. He had lamented the lack of help from his professional colleagues in the movie industry.
Following that edition of the Brekete show, a kindhearted Nigerian and MD/CEO of Morgan Entertainment, Mr Emeka Ogujiofor invited him to the United States of America for a comprehensive...
The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is not happy with a section of the media which it accuses of trying to politicize the ongoing restructuring of the organization by whipping up ethnic sentiments.
In a statement issued by Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Ohi Alegbe in Abuja on Friday, the NNPC said that recent retirements in the organization were in line with extant rules, just as appointments conform with international best practices.
It added that all its recent actions reflect federal character and have the approval of...
The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is not happy with a section of the media which it accuses of trying to politicize the ongoing restructuring of the organization by whipping up ethnic sentiments.
In a statement issued by Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Ohi Alegbe in Abuja on Friday, the NNPC said that recent retirements in the organization were in line with extant rules, just as appointments conform with international best practices.
It added that all its recent actions reflect federal character and have the approval of...
Friday, 14 August 2015
An Abuja based clothes dealer was on Wednesday subjected to severe beating by members of the Task Force on City Cleaning at the Area One roundabout, Abuja.
The trader was a passenger in a taxicab which was being chased by the task force for operating without permit. According to an eyewitness, trouble started for the trader when the cab driver locked up himself and his passenger inside the car, thus denying the operatives access.
When the car was eventually forced open, the task force descended on the trader, giving him the beating of his life....
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