The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola said the country was now in a stage where government efforts must be complemented by those who were financially and economically endowed. “The simple analysis of the current economic imbroglio is the fact that the three tiers of government which were sharing over N1.3 trillion before the acclaimed crude oil theft that persisted between June, 2011 to May, 2013 are now sharing N366 billion,” Aregbesola said when he inaugurated the newly renovated Comprehensive Health Centre, Igbajo in Boluwaduro Local Government Area of the state. “These are open-secrets because every issue attached to…
Author: Wale Adebayo
Nigeria may well be on the verge of a significant breakthrough in the discovery of oil in the lake Chad area in North East if the analysis of recent seismic 3D data generated from the Chad Basin is anything to go by. The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, disclosed this in a presentation to the Petroleum Club, Lagos, at the weekend. The NNPC boss in the presentation titled, “Ongoing Reforms in the Oil Industry: Impact of NNPC Reforms on the Nigerian Economy”, said that the NNPC is injecting a lot of energy…
Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said his administration will ensure completion of all ongoing school projects despite the economic meltdown. This is contained in a statement by Semiu Okanlawon, his media aide, in Osogbo on Sunday. The statement stated that Mr. Aregbesola said this during his visit to the project sites in the state. It stated that aside the school projects, all other ongoing projects in the state would be completed as scheduled. It directed all the contractors handling the school projects to accelerate the completion of the projects. According to the statement, it will be unfortunate and…
The Nigerian Navy in Port Harcourt on Sunday handed over six vessels and fifteen suspected oil thieves to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, for prosecution. Speaking at the handover, Olusegun Soyemi, Executive Officer, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, said that the suspects were arrested for their alleged involvement in illegal bunkering. He said that one of the suspects was arrested while discretely discharging (about 108,000 litres of) diesel from a large wooden boat into five vessels without license. “On October 20, we got intelligence report about an illegal bunkering activity at a private jetty situated opposite the busy…
A former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori has called on those brandishing his picture during Biafra protests to desist as he is a strong believer of a united Nigeria where the rights of every citizen is held sacrosanct. He also stated that the peace that the country enjoyed for forty five years after the civil war should not be broken by residues being dug up by some people to further divide the nation and betray efforts at national reconciliation and development. The ex-governor, who is serving jail term in the UK, said this must not be allowed.…
Former Biafran leader and Ikemba of Asaba, Delta State, Chief Joseph Achuzia, has faulted Ex-President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for describing pro-Biafra agitators as miscreants, saying those living in glass houses should not throw stones. Speaking to Vanguard in an interview in Asaba, Achuzia said, “This is a question of the kettle calling pot black. The ex- President, Olusegun Obasanjo, is a friend, I have the greatest respect for him, but unfortunately, half or most of the times, he, out of arrogance becomes careless in the words he uses”. He continued: “They say that those living in glass houses should not throw…
Following reports that President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) may sack those appointed by the previous administration after the March 28 presidential election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Initiative for Positive Change has urged the president to retain Mr. Solomon Arase as the Inspector General of Police. Then President Goodluck Jonathan had appointed Arase on April 21 following the sack of Suleiman Abba as the IGP. Reacting to the reports in a communique at the end of its meeting held in Kaduna and jointly signed by Dalhatu Yusuf, Luqman Ibrahim and Tahir Giwa, Chairman, Secretary and PRO respectively, the APCYIPC said…
The Vigilante Youth Vanguard popularly known as ‘Civilian JTF’ currently working with the military and other security agencies on counter insurgency activities in Borno State, at the weekend, appealed to the authorities for firearms in order to boost the ongoing operation. The group made the plea during the launch of ‘the Police-Vigilante Youth Groups and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Monthly Meeting’ initiated by the Commissioner of Police, Borno State Command, Mr. Aderemi John Opadokun. Responding to their request, CP Opadokun said the provision of guns to the vigilante youth groups was a constitutional matter which required the enactment of laws…
All Progressives Congress (APC) National Woman Leader, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has described the ruling by the Taraba State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal declaring Senator Aisha Al-Hassan of the APC, the duly elected Governor, as a victory for democracy and triumph of the people’s will. Hajiya Aliyu, who doubles as the President, Women Wing, Council of African Political Parties, in a statement yesterday, called on Nigerian women to rally support for the Tribunal’s ruling. She said the verdict remained a priceless watershed in Nigeria’s political history for her party to produce the first elected female Governor in Taraba State. “It…
Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has vowed to appeal the verdict of the Election Petitions Tribunal which sacked him and declared Senator Aisha Alhassan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the April 11, 2015 gubernatorial poll. Ishaku disclosed this at a press conference on Saturday in Jalingo, the state capital while reacting to the tribunal’s judgment and called on the citizens of the state to remain calm and be law abiding. The governor said he believed that the court of appeal would reverse the judgment and give him back his victory. However, in a twisted development, the…
Kano Zoological Garden management says the garden requires N40 million to enable it restock new species of animals. The Director, Zoo services, Ali Yola, disclosed this in Kano on Saturday. He said, the management had already forwarded the request to the state government for consideration and approval. He said restocking the zoo with new animals would attract more visitors to the zoo and generate more revenue for the state. “Over the years we have been looking for an opportunity to restock the zoo with new animals. “Some of the animals, at the zoo now have no partners; they are either…
Alhaji Bashir Tofa, who contested the 1993 presidential election with the late business mogul, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola has urged that other former governors be probed so that the prosecution of Senate President Bukola Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) will not look like a witch-hunt. While he admitted that Saraki’s prosecution shows the government’s seriousness, he noted: “People are worried about Senator Bukola’s case, because it appears he is the only former governor accused of this particular serious crime. Investigators will do well to show that it is not so and to spread their searchlight on…
Managing Director of Falcon Petroleum Limited, Professor Joseph Ezigbo has said now is the right time for the government to remove subsidy on petroleum products. “I think it is something that needs to be done now but it requires both the political and economic will. The turning point is highest now from every group and there are still a few people who must be against the withdrawal of subsidy but they are enemies of this country. Today, if you go to Enugu, Benin or Lagos up to the North, nobody is buying fuel now at government approved price of N87…
The Election Petition Tribunal in Taraba State yesterday sacked Governor Darius Ishaku, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 11 gubernatorial poll, from office. The tribunal, which sat at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous judgment by a three-man panel of judges, yesterday, declared Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the poll. In its judgment, the Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar-led tribunal said it was satisfied that Ishaku was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the election. The tribunal maintained that there was…
National Deputy Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Abdullahi Jalo, has called on past leaders of Nigeria and other elder statesmen to advise President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) against making unguarded statements, especially in this trying time of the country’s national history. Speaking at the weekend in Gombe, against the backdrop of a statement President Muhammadu Buhari was quoted to have made in India that Nigeria is broke, Jalo said: “I wish to draw the attention of Nigerians, particularly my President, President Muhammadu Buhari, on the issue of Nigeria is broke. This statement is terrifying. “If this statement credited Mr. President…
Bank of Industry (BoI), First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and Heritage Bank have released a total of 7.2 billion naira loan to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), to boost corps members skills acquisition and empowerment goals. “The tune of 2 billion Naira by Bank of Industry, 5 billion Naira FCMB Credit Direct, 200 million Heritage Bank, 10 million NYSC Foundation and Bank of Agriculture loan have been given to boost corps members’ skills acquisition,” Director General, NYSC Brigadier General Johnson Olawunmi said at the 2015 Batch ‘B’ stream one, Orientation Course at Ipaja, Lagos, on Saturday. He noted that…
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae has left the country for the United Kingdom for medical treatment, five weeks after his kidnap and release by suspected Fulani herdsmen. Falae was abducted from his farm at Ilado village, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State on his 77th birthday. He was later released after the family paid a ransom of 5 milliion naira to the kidnappers after he spent 72 hours in their den. Four of the kidnappers have been arrested and charged to court by the Police. According to Vanguard, the politician decided…
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said Saturday’s judgment of the Taraba State gubernatorial election petition tribunal in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Aisha Alhassan, was another evidence of executive interference in the judiciary. The party said the reason given by the tribunal for arriving at what it termed a “bizarre” decision, is intriguing and further exposes the contradictions and double standards inherent in most tribunal rulings against PDP interests recently. The PDP’s position was contained in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh. According to the statement, “Taraba state tribunal ruling again brings to…
The Governor of Ekiti State , Mr. Ayodele Fayose on Saturday described the tribunal judgement which sacked the Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a ridiculous political judgement that can never stand before God and every man with conscience. In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor wondered how a tribunal could make conduct of the PDP primary that produced Governor Ishaku in Abuja an issue when the tribunal itself sat in Abuja. “How does the emergence of party candidate, which is the clear…
All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State has condemned orchestrated campaign by what it termed “remains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state in concert with some fifth columnist elements in our party”. The party’s position was contained in a statement issued by the Prince Abubakar Audu Campaign Council. The APC described the campaign of calumny as one “designed to wipe up ethnic, jejune and primordial sentiments to boost the lacklustre campaign of a man who has been in slumber in the last four years as Governor of Kogi State”. A statement signed by Barr. Humphrey Abah, Chairman, Prince Abubakar Audu Campaign…