British Nobel laureate Dorothy Hodgkin once noted that the University of Lagos was one of the v world centres of expertise in her specialist field of chemical Ahmadu Bello University Zaria had the first world class computer centre in Africa. The University of Ife had a notable pool of expertise in nuclear physics. Our premier University of Ibadan had an international reputation as a leading centre of excellence in tropical medicine, development economics and the historical sciences. The Saudi Royal family used to frequent UCH for medical treatment in the sixties. The engineering scientist Ayodele Awojobi, a graduate of ABU…
Author: Ifeanyi N.
The U.S. Supreme Court heads into the last month of its current term with several major cases yet to be decided including a Republican bid to invalidate the Obamacare healthcare law, a dispute involving LGBT and religious rights and another focused on voting restrictions. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, now has 24 cases in total left to decide after issuing two rulings on Tuesday. There also is speculation about the potential retirement of its oldest justice, Stephen Breyer. Some liberal activists have urged Breyer, who is 82 and has served on the court since 1994, to step…
The People of Mubi, Northern Adamawa district, and Chamba Cultural Development Association (CCDA) have demanded for the creation of Amana and Gongola States, out of Adamawa. The groups made the demand at the North East Zonal public hearing for the review of 1999 Constitution before the House of Representatives Committee in Yola on Wednesday. Mr Ahmad Sajo, Spokesperson of Mubi Local Government Area, said that Mubi deserved to be a state, named Amana with capital city in Mubi. According to him, originally they are part of Cameroun, but by choice, they joined Nigeria because of promises made to them by…
The proposal suggests United African Republic or United Alkebulan Republic as Nigeria’s new name. The House of Representatives’ Special Committee on Constitution Review has received a proposal to change Nigeria’s name to the United African Republic (UAR). Adeleye Jokotoye, a tax consultant, submitted the proposal to the committee at the South West Zonal Public Hearing in Lagos on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. While presenting the proposal, he said Nigeria’s current name was an imposition of its past colonial masters and should be changed. He said a change of name for the country would physically and psychologically reflect a new beginning.…
Former Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters, Alhaji Abdurrahman Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila, has insisted that no right-thinking Nigerians will endanger their lives to support the candidature of any South-East politician vying for the presidency in 2023. He also said that those responsible for the rising security challenges in the southeastern part of the country want to turn Nigeria into anarchy. Sumaila stated this on Thursday in a statement he issued to newsmen in Kano. Recall that some groups from the Southeast advocating for Nigeria’s next president to come from the region had stressed that the Igbo…
Democrats on Tuesday celebrated the boycott by Texas state lawmakers that prevented sweeping new Republican-backed voting restrictions from becoming law over the weekend but acknowledged the reprieve would be short-lived. With the Texas legislature poised to pass the measure during a special session later this year, voting rights advocates said the U.S. Congress needed to act on a Democratic-backed election reform bill to ensure lasting protections. “The Texas Democratic Party is holding back the levy with a temporary band-aid, but they don’t have the resources to be able to hold it back permanently,” said Sylvia Albert, voting and elections director…
A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Chief Olumide Aderinokun says President Muhammadu Buhari has lost control of the nation he rules over. Aderinokun, while reacting to the state of the nation, said he does not understand why the President allegedly “threatened to give Easterners ‘the shock of their lives and also ‘treat them in a language they understand, while he was referring to the Nigerian civil war.” The Akinruyiwa of Owu asserted that “Nigeria is lacking effective leadership amid the dwindling economy and ceaseless security challenges under the Buhari administration.” In a statement made available to…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being lethargic towards insecurity. PDP while condemning the killing of the Senior Special Adviser on security to the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, AIG Christopher Dega (rtd), said the body language of Buhari’s administration has emboldened insecurity in the country. Unknown gunmen had killed Dega in Jos, the Plateau State capital. Reacting to the development, PDP charged the Buhari-led government to take decisive steps in tackling insecurity. In a series of tweets on its verified Twitter handle, PDP wrote: “The @OfficialPDPNig is alarmed by the gruesome murder of the…
The sack of political appointees by Zamfara Governor, Bello Matawalle has fueled speculation that he is set to dump the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC). On Tuesday, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Bala Bello and all 23 commissioners were fired. A statement by the governor’s spokesman, Zailani Bappa also announced the sack of Chief of Staff, Bala Mande, his Deputy Bashir Maru, all heads, chairmen and members of commissions, boards and agencies. Matawalle’s planned move is causing disquiet in the camp of former Governor, Abdulaziz Yari and former Zamfara Central Senator Kabir Marafa.…
President Muhammadu Buhari has opened up on the rumours of his third term agenda, saying he is not nursing such an ambition. Buhari said he will provide the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC with all the materials and resources needed to conduct a successful election in 2023. He alleged that those destroying INEC facilities were doing so to prevent the elections from holding, but added that there will be no excuse for failure. The Nigerian President insisted that his administration has no third term agenda, vowing to do its best to ensure a successful election across the country despite increasing…
Negotiations with U.S. President Joe Biden over a potentially massive infrastructure investment package are inching forward even though disagreements remain over the size and scope of such legislation, Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito said on Sunday. “I think we can get to real compromise, absolutely, because we’re both still in the game,” Capito said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday.” Capito leads a group of six Senate Republicans who have been in regular contact with Biden and White House aides over a bill the administration wants to move through Congress promptly. The Republican senators have proposed $928 billion to…
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has warned the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to ensure transparency in the planned purchase of 20 percent shares in Dangote Refinery. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan told Nigerians to pay attention to the acquisition. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had announced it is considering equity participation in a number of private refineries. Kennie Obateru, the spokesman, in a statement explained that the decision was in line with the Federal Government policy which mandates the NNPC to invest in facilities that exceed 50,000 barrels. Obateru said the corporation identified at least six refinery projects…
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has revealed that Friday’s Supreme Court victory means freedom and emancipation to him and the people of his State. Obaseki also said that the victory means the Edo people have finally defeated the issue of ‘godfather’ in the State. The governor said this while addressing a large gathering in Benin City, the state capital, on Tuesday as part of the celebration to mark Friday’s Supreme Court victory. According to him, democracy is not about the godfather but all about the people. Obaseki, Fintiri get new PDP appointments “For us in Edo, this victory means…
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State has taken a new dimension as the State chairman of the party, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi has been suspended from his position. PDP in a press release made available to the media on Wednesday in Benin City, the state capital by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Chris Osa Nehikhare said it was a resolution reached by the State Working Committee during a meeting when he was accused of gross misconduct by brewing unnecessary tension and disunity among party members in the state, a manner akin to bringing the party into disrepute.…
The Senator representing Imo West senatorial district, Rochas Okorocha, has finally reacted publicly to the killing of the All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain Ahmed Gulak. Gulak, a former Political Adviser to ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan, was killed in Owerri, Imo State at the weekend. Ahmed Gulak, who conducted the APC primary election in Imo State prior to the 2019 general elections, had accused Okorocha of, among other things, taking him hostage and forcing him to announce the results in his favour. Okorocha had wanted his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, to win the party’s primary election which Hope Uzodinma was announced as winner…
Texas lawmakers are set to vote on a sweeping election reform bill that limits early hours to cast ballots, bans drive-through polling sites and places new requirements on voters, the latest attempt by Republicans to impose voting restrictions at the state level. A committee of state representatives and senators finalized the legislation on Saturday, sending it to both Republican-led chambers for a simple majority vote expected sometime this weekend. Republican Governor Greg Abbott has indicated he will sign the bill into law. If approved and signed into law, Texans would no longer be able to take advantage of 24-hour polling…
Gbajabiamila has urged Nigerians to fully participate in the constitutional amendment process. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has stressed the importance of a constitutional amendment by slamming the 1999 constitution as a compromise for the sake of democracy. The constitution was handed down from the military when Nigeria transitioned back to a democratic system of government in 1999. The document has for decades been termed as fraudulent for its origin and blamed for many of Nigeria’s recent problems, especially in the areas of power imbalance between the Federal Government and subnational governments. The National Assembly has…
The appointees will fill vacancies following the retirement of three permanent secretaries and death of one other. Kaduna State Government has announced the appointment of five new permanent secretaries and redeployment of others to various ministries. A statement issued on Tuesday in Kaduna by Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, Special Adviser on Media and Communication to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, said those appointed include: Abubakar Abba-Umar, Yusuf Sale, Adamu Atama, Balarabe Wakili, and Ya’u Y Tanko. The statement said the new appointment was to fill existing vacancies following the retirement of three permanent secretaries and death of one other. Those who retired were…
The Osun Progressives (TOP), a caucus of All Progressives Congress, APC on Tuesday, stated that the group was formed to strengthen the party but not otherwise has been tagged by “enemies”. The group asserted that the caucus was formed by progressives minded people whose objectives are noble with motives pure and not a splinter group within the Osun APC. Stating the mission of the group, the chairman of the APC caucus, Revd Adelowo Adebiyi during a press conference held at the Oranmiyan building, Osogbo, declared that TOP exists to correct the observed anomaly in APC, which according to him, other…
Prof. Kpamor Orkar, the Caretaker Deputy Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, has said an Idoma indigene should be considered for the governorship position in the state in 2023. Orkar told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that he does not believe that only Tiv people should continue to produce governors of the state without considering the minority tribes. NAN also reports that since the creation of Benue in 1976, only Tiv people have been elected governor, while Idoma and Igede people occupy the deputy governor’s position. He stressed that Benue people need to…