Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mrs. Amina Zakari has denied insinuations that she is desperate to become substantive chairman of the electoral body. Mrs. Zakari’s appointment as national commissioner had expired on July 22 and there are speculations President Muhammadu Buhari may confirm her appointment as INEC chairman, subject to Senate confirmation. Since joining INEC in 2011, she has chaired, at different times, the Political Parties Monitoring Committee and the Planning Monitoring and Strategy Committee. In an interview with THE NATION, Mrs. Zakari said even if her appointment is not confirmed, she has made history as…
Author: Wale Adebayo
The Presidency has said that Hajiya Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), has not been assigned an official portfolio. The “First Lady’s office” was abolished under the present administration, renaming it “Office of the Wife of the President”. The Presidency, however, said Mrs. Buhari would, for now, be saddled with women and youth related issues in the country, in apparent response to allegations in a section of the media that she had moved into the First Lady’s office inside the Presidential Villa. Describing the allegation as totally false and fictitious, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on…
Lagos State Governor Former Governor and the national leader of All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Saturday urged editors in the country to support the president’s media aides to make their jobs less challenging. Tinubu, represented by Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo, gave the advice in Abuja at a reception organised by the Nigeria Guild of Editors for its members recently appointed as president’s media aides. Those honoured were Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President and Mallam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President. Tinubu,…
Amid the growing controversies that the newly appointed Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Babatunde Fowler, was brandishing a fake doctorate degree from a United Kingdom institution, Irish International University, the 59-year-old has since deleted the honourary degree from his Wikipedia entry. Fowler was on Thursday appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) as the new head of the FIRS, but hours after the announcement was made, it emerged that his doctorate degree might have been fake. Sahara Reporters, an online news platform, which broke the news yesterday, claimed that the former Lagos Internal Revenue Service boss’ ‘Ph.D’ obtained…
A group of sacked soldiers facing disciplinary action by the Nigerian Army for abandoning the battlefront in the Northeast, on Friday besieged the Kaduna State Government House to protest what they described as unfair treatment meted against them by the army authorities. The soldiers, who stormed the Government House at 5:30pm to present their complaints before Governor Nasir El-Rufai, were said to be those who allegedly abandoned their operational base in the ongoing war against Boko Haram. Although the governor was unavailable to address the aggrieved soldiers, it was learnt that the Secretary to the State Government, Balarabe Lawal, met…
It’s no longer gist that veteran Nollywood actress and politician, Kate Henshaw, lost everything in a fire at her home. The actress has now spoken with City People following the fire at her Lekki Home. Here’s an excerpt from the interview: – How many years have you been in the industry? 1993, that is going to be 22 years now. Wow that’s a long time… (Laughs) It is actually a long journey even when I think about it, am always like wow. Can you take us down the memory lane? It’s a long journey, how do I even…
The highly anticipated African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), has unveiled the 2015 nominees list. The award show will hold in South Africa in September 2015. See the list below: – Efere Ozako AMAA 2015 Award For Best Short Film Stories Of Our Lives ‘’Run’ – Kenya Aisha’s Story – Nigeria Gulped Of The Blue Sea – Togo Memoir Of A Honest Voice- Sierra Leone Twaaga – Burkina Faso AMAA 2015 Award For Best Animation The Throne – Nigeria Alternative To Corporal Punishment – Namibia The Legacies Of Rubbies – Nigeria Akorkoli – Ghana AMAA 2015 Award For Best Documentary Egypt…
Anthony Ujah grabbed his first Bundesliga goal for Werder Bremen as they come from behind to draw a goal apiece away to Hertha Berlin on Friday. Anthony Ujah Celebrates His First Bundesliga Goal in the Shirts of Werder Bremen With Team-Mates. Image: Getty. Valentin Stocker needed just six minutes to register the opener in front of 56, 376 crowd at the Berlin Olympiastadion, but Ujah restored parity midway through the second half to help Bremen register their first point of the new German League campaign. Bremen could have nicked it in the closing ten minutes but were twice caught out…
Bayelsa state governorship aspirant Moses Siasia has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressing regret that young people have no future in the party. The 35 year-old Chairman of multi-billion naira business empire, Mosilo Group, in a statement, stressed that the leadership of the PDP in Bayelsa has isolated him because he chose to champion the cause of the youths. Read full statement below: For many years now, I have been actively involved in supporting successive governments in my beloved country Nigeria. I have always believed that every citizen needs to support their government for such government to succeed which…
Deputy Secretary of the Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), Evangelist Elliot Uko, has berated Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, over his advise to the Igbo to declare for Republic of Biafra if they are aggrieved over President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments. In a reply to former Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who said the Igbo had not been treated fairly in terms of political positions and appointments in the President Buhari administration, Mohammed had said: “I don’t believe Buhari or Nigeria owes any Igbo anything. I don’t care what Ezeife says – if they (Igbo) had seceded, there would…
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Friday, said it had secured over N200 million bank facility for disbursement to corps members as loans to enbale them start their own businesses. Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, the Director-General of the corps, said this when the Commander, Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Musa Yusuf, paid a familiarisation visit to the NYSC Headquarters in Abuja. “That has been a challenge; we train these corps members in the camp after the camp we have partners all over the country where corps members also receive training throughout the service year. “Now, the issue is that when they…
The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, will visit Nigeria from August 23 to 24 and will meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and State Governors. During his visit which will focus on Pathways to a new Nigeria-Role of Sub-National Governments, Mr Ki-Moon will also lay wreath to commemorate the 4th Anniversary of the attack on the United Nation’s House, in Abuja and embark on a field visit to Kuje Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory. During the two-day visit, he will also hold dialogue and lunch with Nigerian Business actors under the theme The role of Nigerian Business and…
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed optimism that a brighter future awaits the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. Obasanjo made the observation on Friday while having a chat with the national leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students who paid him a courtesy call in his hilltop residence in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State. The former President assured Nigerians of his readiness to continue to work for the success of the country. However, he urged the citizens to play their parts in the Nigerian project, urging them to meaningfully criticize…
The Federal Government has suspended the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr David Parradang, effective Friday, 21st August 2015. This was contained in a statement from the Ministry of Interior, signed by the Ministry’s Director of Press, Mr Yusuf Isiaka, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary. Although the statement did not state the reasons for his suspension, but The Nation reports that it was because he allegedly recruited 1,000 immigration officers in violation of due process. Mr Martin Abeshi, a Deputy Comptroller General has been asked to take over the affairs of the office. Parradang was appointed the…
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai has solicited for the cooperation of all Borno residents and citizens of Nigeria in ending Boko Haram insurgency by providing credible information on the “hideouts and modus operandi” of the terrorists. According to him, the sect members have refused peace to reign in the affected states of the sub-region, including Plateau and Kano states. Speaking on Friday morning in Maiduguri on a special Hausa and Kanuri programme of FM Radio Lafiya (Radio peace), on how to ‘crush and end’ Boko Haram insurgency in the country; Buratai said in strict compliance to the…
Centre for the Vulnerable and Underprivileged (CENTREP), Warri, Delta State, weekend, faulted the assertion by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, that lack of increase in the funding of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) was the chief impediment to effective policing nationwide. In a statement by the executive director of the group, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, the organisation argued that the statement by Mr. Arase at the National Security Conference jointly organized by the NPF and the Sun Newspaper in Abuja was far from the truth. “The major obstacle to effective policing in the Nigeria State is the monstrous…
The Taraba Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Friday admitted 10 APC party agents as witnesses on oath. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the party agents appeared as witnesses in a suit filed by the APC Governorship Candidate, Sen. Aisha Alhassan, who is seeking to nullify the election of Gov. Darius Ishaku of PDP. Justice Musa Abubakar, the tribunal Chairman, at the resumed hearing, admitted the 10 witnesses presented by Mr. Mahmud Abubakar (SAN), Counsel for the petitioner, and adjourned to August 22, for continuation of hearing. However, the witnesses were examined by Abubakar (SAN), counsel…
President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) has suspended the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, David Parradang, with immediate effect. Parradang’s suspension was contained in a statement signed by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Interior, Mr. Yusuf Isiaka Alhaji, on behalf of the permanent secretary of the ministry on Friday in Abuja. According to the statement, Deputy Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. Martin Kure Abeshi, had been directed to take over the affairs of the service. Abeshi is the most senior officer after Parradang, the statement added.
The Nigerian Military has liberated Gudumbali town in Guzamala local government area of Borno State from Islamist sect Boko Haram. According to a statement released on Friday in Abuja by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, the attack on the town was carried out by troops of 7 Brigade. The troops during the operation entered and cleared the area killing an unspecified number of the terrorists and destroying their weapons and equipment. The statement added that the troops are currently doing clearance operations in the general area. It recalled that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) had on…
Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball national team, D’Tigers, recorded their second successive win in Afrobasket 2015, coasting to a comfortable 98-59 victory against debutants Uganda. Chamberlain Oguchi continued his impressive outing in Rades, notching up 30 points and eight rebounds, with Al-Farouk Aminu complimenting with 14 points. Proceedings was halted for over two minutes (2.17secs) in the final quarter after Stanley Okoye missed what could have been the dunk of the tournament and ended up smashing the backboard. An hour-long break – to replace the backboard – followed before the west Africans closed out an emphatic win. D’Tigers Have Won all…