Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Senator Smart Adeyemi, on Tuesday expressed confidence that Nigeria’s successful hosting of the World Economic Forum on Africa would provide a better platform to address the issue of insurgency in the country. The senator, who stated this in Abuja during an interview with journalists, pointed out that most investors that would attend the global event would key into the nation’s economic potential with a view to investing in it. “This is a good development that is coming at this time, because more investors will come and invest. Once people are gainfully…
Author: Wale Adebayo
Governor Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State has signed the law banning the operation of commercial motorcycles in Kaduna metropolis and some other major towns in the state. The bill had been approved by the Kaduna State House of Assembly. Briefing journalists after the weekly Security Council Meeting, the State Commissioner for Information, Ben Bako, said the ban was aimed at reinforcing security in the state. Mr. Bako said that the ban followed the influx of commercial motorcycles into the state following a similar ban on their operations in some neighbouring states such as Plateau, Niger, Kano and the FCT. The…
The Army Headquarters has directed all its units to embark on equipment and material audit as part of efforts to effectively combat terrorism in the country. Brig.-Gen. Olajide Laleye, Director, Army Public Relations, gave the directive on Tuesday in Abuja at a news conference. Laleye said the audit was to enable the army determine whether such materials were in short supply, unserviceable or obsolete. He stressed the need to adequately equip the army to enable it be “eminently prepared to embark on long campaigns” for the defence of the country and its citizenry. “Without doubt, the Nigerian Army is committed…
To underscore its seriousness in finding over 200 female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, abducted by gunmen over 18 days ago, the Nigeria Police has announced a cash reward of N50 million to anyone, who volunteers useful information that will lead to their rescue. A statement by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Chief Superintendent of Police, called on all patriotic citizens with such useful information to contact the following numbers: 09-2914649 08081777309 08055547536 08032125050 08034617591 08035969731 Mba, while calling on the general public to be part of the solution to the present security challenge,…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has raised the alarm over plans to transfer the Police Commissioner, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, from the state. CP Ogunsakin was posted to the troubled state in February this year, taking over from Mr. Joseph Mbu, after repeated calls for his removal were rebuffed by the Police Service Commission and Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar. Rivers APC in a statement signed by its media adviser, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said, “We are reliably informed that arrangements have been concluded by the Presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to redeploy CP Ogunsakin…
Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan acted unconstitutionally by summoning some Borno State government officials over the abduction of more than 200 school girls in Chibok, a member of the House of Representatives, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said. Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, who is the Chairperson of the House Committee on Diaspora, was reacting to last week’s summoning of Borno State Police Commissioner and the governor’s wife as well as the school principal to the State House, Abuja by Mrs. Jonathan. The lawmaker noted that the first lady lacked the constitutional powers to summon any public officer. Addressing journalists shortly after yesterday’s plenary,…
A delegation of the North-East Forum for Unity and Development yesterday visited Aso Rock Presidential Villa Abuja to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan over the abduction of over 200 female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. The delegation, led by a former Minister of Finance and ex-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Malam Adamu Ciroma, arrived the State House at exactly 1.05pm, before going into a two-hour closed door meeting with the president, Vice President Namadi Sambo and other top government officials. According to a presidency source, the delegation was at the Villa to express their…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the melodramatic intervention of the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, in the abduction of over 200 school girls as distracting, counter-productive and calibrated to make a scapegoat of others with the sole intention of exculpating her husband rather than finding the girls. “Make no mistake about it, there is nothing wrong in the First Lady, as a woman and the mother of the nation, playing a role in resolving the unfortunate abduction of the girls, but that role must be within the realms of social activism, not in policy making or conduct of…
Global efforts to assist Nigeria in rescuing over 200 school girls, who were abducted from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, received a major boost yesterday as the United States Government offered to deploy “personnel and assets” to join in search and rescue operations. The offer was made on Tuesday by U.S Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry on behalf of President Barack Obama in a telephone conversation with Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan. According to a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan welcomed and accepted a “definite offer”, which includes…
Few hours after they hijacked a school bus belonging to The Vine International Academy, Nyanya, Phase IV, Nyanya, a suburb on the outskirts of Abuja, causing panic in the area, which has witnessed back-to-back deadly bombings, two suspects have been arrested by the Nigeria Police for the crime. The Toyota Hiace with registration number XG 246 GWA, was forcefully taken at gun point on Tuesday morning, May 6, 2014 at about 7:40 a. m. However, vigilant policemen attached to Nasarawa Police Command intercepted and recovered the bus along Lafia Road in Nasarwa State. The occupants of the vehicle – Victor Essien…
FILE PHOTO No fewer than 200 people were killed in the border town of Gamboru, Borno State, on Monday when suspected Boko Haram sect members stormed the town. Sixteen policemen were reportedly among the dead in the daytime attack that lasted for about four hours, residents and political leaders from the area disclosed yesterday. The attackers, according to a witness, were decked in military fatigue, stormed the town driving dozens of pick-up trucks and motorcycles, with three armoured personnel carriers providing cover. Some residents, who returned to Gamboru yesterday after fleeing to nearby Cameroonian villages, said they discovered that over…
As one would expect, President Goodluck Jonathan’s government’s ratings has dropped, according to NOIPolls Limited. on job performance of his government, the polls revealed that the administration recorded a decline of four-point on last month’s poll. The survey particularly ranked Jonathan very poor in his performance on job creation, power and security as only 29 per cent of Nigerians experienced an improvement in power supply over the past one month. The results for April 2014 revealed that 49 per cent of adult Nigerians approved of the job performance of the President over the past month; this figure represents a four-point…
A group known as Association for Good Governance (AGG) said on Tuesday that the acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, does not merit the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ticket to contest the 2015 governorship elections in the state. The state Chairman of the group, Danjuma Isa Munga, who made this known at a press briefing in Jalingo, the state capital, argued that Umar had failed the state and the party in all ramifications and should not be allowed to run for the exalted seat. Munga, therefore, urged the PDP to as a matter of urgency start shopping for…
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, has called on Muslim faithful to join in a one month fasting and prayers introduced by the council to seek God’s intervention in the current activities of Boko Haram insurgents in the country. Vice Chairman of the council, Alhaji Dauda Ajagu, who disclosed this on Monday in Onitsha, Anambra State, said fasting and prayers would take place every Mondays and Thursday throughout this month of May. He therefore directed Muslims to adhere strictly to the fasting and prayers since, according to him, it is only God that can restore peace and harmony…
President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday reassured the international community that the Federal Government would do everything possible to ensure the rescue of the abducted school girls in Chibok, Borno. Jonathan gave the reassurance at the inauguration of the Presidential Committee on the Rescue of the Abducted School girls chaired by retired Gen. Ibrahim Sabo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. President Goodluck Jonathan He also used the occasion to assure delegates to the World Economic Forum for Africa of their safety and a hitch-free event. “Let me assure the families and our dear daughters that in conjunction with international community that…
Lagos State AIDS Control Agency has revealed that 1,702 pregnant women in the state tested positive to HIV and had to be placed on prophylaxis. Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who recently disclosed the statistics added that 1,143 babies that had been exposed to HIV were also placed on prophylaxis “The agency was able to carry out in the last one year HIV Counselling and Testing, HIC, during which a total of 115,424 clients were counselled atthe health facilities. 40,997 pregnant women were counselled and tested through TBA outreaches. “5,492 positive clients commenced antiretroviral treatment. 1,702 positive…
The Lagos State Government on Tuesday threatened to sanction any church or mosque found disturbing public peace with noise from their loud speakers. The Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, issued the threat at his Ministry’s 2014 Ministerial Press Briefing in Ikeja. He said that government had been inundated with complaints from residents living near some religious places disturbing their neighbourhoods with noise and it would no longer watch the trend continue. Bello said that worshipping God did not have to extend as far as encroaching on the rights of others to peace. “It is not right for mosques…
The United States offered Tuesday to send a team of experts to Nigeria to help find 200 kidnapped schoolgirls amid a wave of outrage over their abduction. US Secretary of State John Kerry made the offer in a phone call to Nigeria‘s President Goodluck Jonathan, who “welcomed” it, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. Apart earlier calls by the president for external help, Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, while speaking on CNN also made a plea for help from any country willing to offer it. [AFP]
The Police Command in Kano State said on Tuesday that it had recovered two rifles from a dustbin in Kano metropolis. Spokesman for the command, ASP Magaji Majia, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Kano State. He said the recovered weapons included one K2 and one G3 rifles, adding that the feat was achieved following a tip-off. “The command is particularly happy with the piece of information given which led to the recovery of two rifles concealed in a dustbin”, Majia said. He called on residents to continue to give valuable information to law enforcement agencies…
President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday commiserated with Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on the death of a former governor of the state, Sir Michael Otedola. Sir Otedola died in the early hours of Monday at the age of 88. He is the father of billionaire businessman and owner of Zenon Petroleum and Gas, Femi Otedola. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, President Jonathan assured the people of Lagos State and the Otedola family of his solidarity with them in their hour of grief. He urged them to take solace in…