The immediate past Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday, insisted she was not guilty of any crime in the ongoing probe on the multi-billion dollar arms procurement deal, as everything she did was to protect the interest of Nigeria. In a statement by her spokesperson, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, the former minister also alleged that unscrupulous and comprised individuals have distorted the contents of her memo to former president Goodluck Jonathan, seeking the transfer of $300 million and £5.5 million to the Office of the National Security Adviser, to portray her in bad light. “For the past week, Governor Adams…
Author: Wale Adebayo
The New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) owned by the 19 Northern States of Nigeria, on Friday, said it would begin oil and gas exploration in the north-east in the first quarter of 2016. Chairman of the company, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, stated this while briefing journalists at NNDC’s 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Kaduna. According to him, the company was collaborating with its technical partners and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on the expertise and budgetary requirements for the take-off of the project. Also speaking, the company’s Group Managing Director (GMD), Alhaji Ahmed Musa explained that NNDC could not…
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national leaders, said, yesterday, that they would continue to support President Muhammadu Buhari even if he fails to achieve the set deadline to end Boko Haram insurgency in the North East. Speaking in Abuja when he received a youth group under the aegis of Northern Youth Network at the party national secretariat, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said: “APC had promised that they were going to end insurgency in two weeks, they later said it will be over in two months and after that they now gave December 31 deadline to end Boko Haram. “Now,…
PDP chieftain, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s allocation of N39.4 billion for oil exploration in the Northern part of Nigeria, as contained in the proposed 2016 budget. Speaking to newsmen in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Onuiesoke said it was amazing that when the West and other parts of the world were embarking on renewable energy exploration, Nigeria was allocating funds for oil exploration in arid Northern part of the country. “I wonder if Nigeria is thinking ahead or backward. I am saying this because when countries like America are selling their reserve and diversifying into other sources of energy…
In a bid to counter Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism to a stand still, the federal government is planning to launch a security campaign across the nation, especially in the North-east. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Friday, met with representatives of relevant agencies in Abuja in an effort to design a national communication strategy for the campaign. The campaign aims to sensitize Nigerians on their role in the fight against insurgency, with a view to ensuring that they support and also own the war. ”The military may be doing its best, but it cannot win the war alone.…
Eleven governorship candidates in the Bayelsa polls under the aegis of United Governorship Candidates for Credible Elections, have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to check the undue interference of his aides in the exercise by calling them to order. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the election inconclusive but has not announce a date for a supplementary election to hold. Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, yesterday, the candidates, alleged that some high ranking political office holders in the federal government were the unseen hands who manipulated the electoral process and did everything to skew the election in favour of their…
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, yesterday, alleged that former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, helped the past administration to loot funds. Oshiomhole, who was the guest speaker at a dialogue session that was co-organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja, yesterday, to commemorate the International Human Rights Day, urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to spare the former Minister. Speaking to journalists at the end of his presentation, Oshiomhole, maintained that Okonjo-Iweala has serious questions to answer regarding what happened to looted funds that were recovered from former military dictator,…
The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Friday assured that the senate would not censor the media. This is contained in a statement by his Media Assistant, Bamikole Omishore, made available to newsmen in Abuja. The statement said that Mr. Saraki gave the assurance when members of the Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN) led by its president, Olufemi Awoyemi, visited him. It said the group’s visit was in connection with the widely criticized “Frivolous Petitions Prohibition Bill 2015” popularly tagged “Anti-Social Media Bill”. Mr. Saraki told the group that he would not support any form of censorship of the…
Jigawa State Governor, Mr. Badaru Abubakar on Friday restated his commitment to paying workers in the state N18,000 minimum wage. He gave the assurance in an interview with the news reporters in Dutse. Mr. Badaru said the state government would continue to pay the N18,000, as well as leave grants and other allowances due to the workers in spite of dwindling revenue. The governor said: “I had interaction with the workers last week. I promised to continue with the N18, 000 minimum wage. “I also promised to give them what we agreed upon as leave grant, that they have not been enjoying for…
ThisDay Publisher and President, Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nduka Obaigbena has made clarifications over the purpose of the N550 million and N120 million payments he received from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki. Mr. Obaigbena made the clarifications in response to an invitation by the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) in connection to the ongoing probe into the disbursement of $2.1 billion arms procurement fund by the office of the former NSA. The ThisDay publisher, who also owns Arise News, a US-based world news channel, denied ever receiving any suspicious funds from…
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, has commended the economic and political policies initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari, noting however, that the elite are frustrating the current administration’s reform agenda. Mr. Agbakoba, who stated this while bearing his mind on the state of the nation to newsmen in Lagos, yesterday, pointed out that since May 29, when President Buhari took oath of office, there has been an economic correction in the country, as well as an ideological shift to the left to serve the people’s interest. He cited the implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA), quality…
The Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Dibu Ojerinde, has been appointed Emeritus Professor of Education at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, becoming the second ever to attain that position in the university’s Faculty of Education, after the late Emeritus Professor Babatunde Fafunwa. The appointment, which was made by the university’s Governing Council and communicated to Professor Ojerinde, midweek, allows him to be a permanent member of staff at the university, taking lectures once in a while and supervising students, though without financial commitments. Though Ojerinde, a professor of Education Tests and Measurement at…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has berated Governor Ayodele Fayose for what it termed “breach of protocol” at the presentation of the 2016 Appropriation Bill at the House of Assembly on Tuesday. The party gave Mr. Fayose knocks for bringing out a gavel and symbolically “passing” the budget into law after presenting the proposal to lawmakers. The Ekiti APC argued that aside brandishing the gavel, the governor’s choice of dressing made a mockery of the office he occupies. Governor Fayose had appeared before the lawmakers to present the 2016 Appropriation Bill dressed casually in a T-shirt and…
House of Representatives has ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to follow the directive by former President Goodluck Jonathan and offer letters of appointment to 176 Nigerians injured during their recruitment excises. The lawmakers also directed that 48 members of the deceased families be deployed and their salaries effected. The House gave the directives yesterday while adopting the report of the Femi Gbajabiamila-led three man panel that probed the ill-fated recruitment exercise into the NIS in 2013. The lawmakers blamed the supremacy battle between the presidential committee set up by Jonathan and the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Board on the appointment, for the…
Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje yesterday maintained that dialogue remained the best solution to the lingering protests and agitation for Biafra Republic by youths in the South East geo-political zone of the country. The governor also allayed the fears of large population of Igbos in Kano over the possibility of spill-over of the South East protests in the state, following what he considered as untrue reports that a mosque was bombed in Anambra state. “Virtually, no mosque was bombed. I had a meeting with non-indigenes. They said they were not party to Biafra because they are not even non-indigenes…
The panel set up by the Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima to probe claims of fresh mass abductions of women and girls in Bam-Buratai, Biu Local Government Area of Borno State, has confirmed that a family of six was missing. The media was awash with news that Boko Haram insurgents abducted several girls almost two weeks ago, after killing many in the village during the attack and setting their homes ablaze. The report brought to mind the abduction of over 400 schoolgirls from their hostel in by Boko Haram, over a year ago. While some of the girls were able…
Former Chairman of Daar Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, might not be let off the hook anytime soon as the Federal Government is investigating his alleged connection with another fraud involving about N8billion, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) told a Federal High Court in Abuja Thursday. According to Mr. Jacobs, the Federal Government is about concluding investigations into fresh allegations of N8.4billion Mr. Dokpesi collected from the Goodluck Jonathan administration for airing the FIFA U-17 world championship, which Nigeria hosted in Jan 27, 2012. He stated that even though the broadcast right was granted Daar communications by…
Senator Shehu Sani, who represents Kaduna North Senatorial District, has given the Kaduna State Government knocks for organising music festival as the nation faces economic and security challenges. In a statement he personally issued Thursday, the rights activist-turned senator warned that the music fiesta the Nasir El-Rufai administration plans to organise was uncalled for, as there were projects competing for attention coupled with the financial challenges of the state. According to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, “The upcoming multi million naira jamboree known as Kaduna music festival stands unreservedly condemned. “The event is an…
A former Director of Finance in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Mr. Shuaibu Salisu, has revealed that $47 million was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 11 suit cases for Dasuki, money he suspects might have been given to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to Shaibu, who says he only carried out instructions from the ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), he was innocent. Following his statement written under oath in the presence of investigators of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Ishaq Bello,…
The erstwhile Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Momoh Jimoh-Lawal, on Thursday denied that he had been impeached. The Kogi Assembly is 25-member strong comprising 14 PDP and 11 APC lawmakers. Hon. Jimoh-Lawal was impeached by 17 members of the House on Thursday over allegations of financial misconduct. But the embattled lawmaker insisted that his purported removal did not follow due process. According to Jimoh-Lawal, the signatures of lawmakers that reportedly supported his impeachment were forged, saying the police will be invited to investigate the matter. “I remain the Speaker”, he asserted.