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…