The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has again asked job-seekers to discountenance any purported offer of employment from the commission, saying it is not currently recruiting. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye in a statement on Friday said it had become necessary to once again draw the attention of members of the public to the activities of fake employment merchants and racketeers who open fake employment websites, collect money from unsuspecting members of the public and issue fake employment letters purporting to be acting on behalf of the Commission. It would…
Author: Ifeanyi Nwagboso
I am reminded of the words of the very popular 1897 hymn by Johnson Oatman Jr, “Count your Blessings.” This song encourages us to take stock of the good things that happened in our lives. When we do this, we often find that we have overlooked many positives. Many would describe 2020 as a tough year. At the beginning of the year, the drop in oil prices led to a huge drop in revenue from federal allocations and attendant economic meltdown. In March 2020, many states in Nigeria had cases of coronavirus disease. This necessitated an interstate lockdown by the…
The party expressed sadness over cases of attacks from bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and vandals in 2020. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Nigerians to renew their faith in the country, in spite of the problems faced in 2020, including security and economic challenges. The PDP said this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan on Thursday in Abuja. Ologbondiyan commended Nigerians for their resilience and an unshaken resolve to stand by one another in the face of the challenges. He expressed sadness over cases of attacks from bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and vandals in 2020. “Notwithstanding…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reassured that the country will come out of its challenges under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari with the cooperation of all stakeholders. The party said this in its new year message to Nigerians on Thursday in Abuja, adding that the Federal Government is taking necessary measures to resolve the country’s challenges. The message was signed by Gov. Mai Mala Buni, Chairman, APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee, and Sen. James Akpanudoedehe, the committee’s secretary. The party noted that on account of difficult economic circumstances occasioned by the decline in economic activities, the…
The Group Managing Director of CFL Group, Lai Omotola has warned that except politicians across existing party affiliations give way to new crop of leaders, the agitation for better governance would continue. Omotola stated this during the end of year press briefing on the state of the nation in his office, Maryland, Lagos recently. He said majority of people have lost hope in the two dominant parties, (APC and PDP), adding that they are waiting for a third force as government at all levels have not shown capacity to tackle the daunting challenges of present and of the future. “The…
Worried by the spate of insecurity in the country, Governor Sule of Nasarawa State has taken a swipe at the APC led administration saying that he can’t score the current governnent ”excellent” especially in the area of insecurity. Governor Sule, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, made his feelings known when he appeared on a Channels television interview. According to Governor Sule, “Nigeria is about to become a failed state” stating that such statement was not new in democratic Nigeria as “the previous government of former President Goodluck Jonathan was also criticised in the same way” He …
After settling the rift the list of electoral committee members for the January poll, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is in fresh crisis. This time, it is about the venue of the election. A coalition of Igbo groups rose from a virtual meeting yesterday to oppose Owerri, Imo State, as venue of the election, alleging that it would undermine the credibility of the process if allowed. The emergency Ime-Obi meeting called by the President-General, Chief Nnia Nwodo, in Enugu on December 20, 2020 had ratified the electoral committee members, after Chief Ben Obi, who was earlier put up to head the committee, was…
President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2021 budget of the Federal Government of Nigeria on Friday. The signing ceremony was held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa. His full speech below: “It gives me great pleasure today to sign the 2021 Appropriation Bill and the enabling 2020 Finance Bill into law. I would like to appreciate the National Assembly, and in particular, thank the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and indeed all distinguished and honourable leaders and members for their cooperation in expeditiously enacting these important money bills. This will enable their implementation to commence…
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has appealed to leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to shelve petty animosities and antagonism and work towards winning elections for the party. Uzodinma made the appeal in his address during the enlarged caucus meeting of the South East zonal chapter of APC held in Owerri, according to statement on Thursday. The Governor noted that APC in the Southeast has all it would take to dominate the zone and stressed the need for unity, brotherly love and genuine reconciliation of aggrieved members. While brainstorming the way forward for the South East…
The lawmaker says he will take a shot at the governor’s seat after serving only one term in the National Assembly. Senator Ishaku Abbo (Adamawa North – APC) says he will contest in the 2023 Adamawa governorship election. The first term lawmaker has been a vocal critic of the administration of incumbent Adamawa governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, a feud he said forced him out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) last month. Abbo revealed during a trip to Ganye local government area of Adamawa on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 that he will challenge Fintiri…
The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has lauded the Court of Appeals’ judgement, Tuesday, that sacked Igo Aguma, as the Caretaker Committee Chairman, stating that the ruling has restored sanity in the troubled party. The party also expressed lack of confidence in the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, to conduct free, fair and credible local government elections in the state. The Caretaker Chairman of the party, Isaac Ogbobula, while addressing the press in Port Harcourt, stated that the party could at the point work together to fight a common course. He noted that the judgement…
Olufemi Aduwo Is the permanent representative of the Centre For Convention on Democratic Integrity, CCDI, to the United Nations, and president, Rights Monitoring Group. In this interview, he speaks on insecurity, insurgency, the ENDSARS protests and the army engagement, among other sundry issues. Excerpts: By Dapo Akinrefon The country’s biggest challenge has been insecurity, fueled by insurgency. What is insurgency and how did we get here? The distinction between terrorism and insurgency is blurred. As a consequence, significant misunderstanding exists in the relationship between the concepts of terrorism and insurgency, terms often used interchangeably by policymakers, non-governmental organisations and the…
The United States Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, has hinted she would present a bill to congress on citizenship for 11 million immigrants. The former Attorney General of California made the disclosure on Twitter on Tuesday. Harris said from day one in office, she and President-elect Joe Biden would act to get COVID-19 under control and save American lives. “We’ll take action to protect Dreamers and send a bill to Congress with a roadmap to citizenship for 11M undocumented people. And we’ll rejoin the Paris Agreement. This is just the beginning”, she tweeted. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors…
The All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday, presented to the Federal High Court, Abuja, two more documents to prove its allegation of certificate forgery against Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki. They are University of Ibadan degree certificates, belonging to Professor Emmanuel Dele Balogun, and a report by a forensic document examiner, Assistant Superintendent of Police, (ASP), Raphael Onwuzuligbo. Both were admitted in evidence by the court after the lead counsel of the plaintiffs, Akin Olujimi (SAN) tendered. The first degree certificate in Agricultural Science submitted was awarded to Balogun in 1979, the same year with that of Obaseki. The second…
Anambra State chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Okeke Ogene, on Wednesday, clarified the issue of the venue of the next election of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation. He confirmed that the Ohanaeze elections will take place in Imo State, although no date has been fixed. According to Ogene, “It is not the first time the venue of the election is being shifted. Joe Irukwu’s election was held in Owerri; Dr. Dozie Ikedife’s election was held in Umuahia; Ralph Uwechue’s election was held in Anambra, Igariwei and Nwodo’s elections took place in Enugu.” He stated that Imeobi, the Ohaneze think-tank, had already…
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has promised to appoint a Senior Special Assistant on Disability Affairs, adding that his administration earmarked N500 million for Persons Living With Disabilities, PLWDs in the 2021 budget. Sanwo-Olu made the disclosure during an interactive session with the PLWDs at the Lagos House, Marina, on Wednesday, assuring that the fund would be accessed from next year 2021. He said that his government had observed some of the challenges of the physically-challenged in the state and would continue to engage them for a better relationship. Sanwo-Olu assured them that a Senior Special Assistant on Disability…
The lawmaker says the proposal is an attempt to legalise child marriage. Senator Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti South – PDP) says a proposal to grant voting rights to married girls under the age of 18 should be rejected by the National Assembly. The National Assembly Joint Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Matters told the electoral commission earlier this month to consider married underage girls as eligible to vote. However, Olujimi told Punch during an interview on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 that the proposal is an attempt to legalise child marriage which is not backed by the 1999 constitution.…
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Wednesday, observed that the Christmas Day message by Bishop Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, gave a true reflection of the current situation in the country. He, therefore, enjoined President Muhammadu Buhari to listen to words of wisdom and disregard sycophants who might tell him that all is well with the country. Governor Ortom made his observation in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, lamented that it is unfair and repressive of the Federal Government’s reaction to the message of the cleric whom the government accused of stirring hatred against…
A Coalition of South-East groups has condemned threats by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s to governors of the region following their opposition of his militia outfit named “Eastern Security Network”. The coalition also lauded southeast governors for their unity in denouncing Kanu’s actions, warning Ndigbo not to fall prey to the IPOB leaders’ antics. Recall that IPOB had threatened South-East governors not to work against the Eastern Security Network he created or be prepared to face dire consequences and asked local vigilantes in the region not to allow themselves to be used by the governors.…
Bishop Matthew Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto Catholic diocese, yesterday, said he only expressed his personal view “based on evidence” and did not call for a coup in his criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari. He insisted he only spoke the truth on Buhari’s nepotism. This came as a coalition of Nigerian Muslim professionals condemned the attacks trailing Kukah’s Christmas Day Message, where he berated the state of the nation, warning that unless leaders sit up, Nigeria was heading towards a failed state. Meanwhile, General Secretary of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, Rev. Yunusa Nmadu, said there was nothing new about what…