The Head of Media and Communication of the Presidential Amnesty Office, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, has resigned his appointment as the spokesman for the office. In a resignation letter dated September 8, 2015 and addressed to Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta/Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.), Alabrah cited “irreconcilable difference as well as inexplicable antagonism and attack on his dignity and self-esteem” as the reason for his action. He said recent development in the office had made the work environment not conducive for the continuing performance of his job. “In the last three years and three…
Author: Wale Adebayo
The security of the nation’s oil pipelines is now to be overseen by men of the Nigerian military, the Defence Headquarters said on Tuesday. The Acting Director, Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, who made this disclosure in a statement issued in Abuja, said this followed a meeting between the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Emmanuel Kachikwu and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, where modalities to get the military to protect the strategic national assets, were discussed. The statement quoted the NNPC’s GMD as having said that he visited the CDS as a…
President Muhammadu Buhari has nothing to do with Zakari Biu’s reinstatement, the Police Service Commission said on Tuesday. Biu, a commissioner of police, was arrested, tried and dismissed from the Police Force in 2012 for allegedly aiding the escape of Boko Haram kingpin, Kabiru Sokoto from custody. Mr. Sokoto escaped when a police team, authorized by Mr. Biu, took him to his house for a search. However, following a review of his case, Zakari Biu was reinstated and statutorily retired last Friday. The news of his statutory retirement raised many eyebrows, with the youth wing of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization,…
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are working on a three-game friendly match series to be played in London and Belgium in the next Fifa free week. The Sunday Oliseh-led Super Eagles defeated Niger Republic 2-0 on Saturday in an international friendly in Port-Harcourt. According to AfricanFootball.com, Cameroon, Ghana and Congo are the countries currently in consideration for the prospective friendly games, which are intended to tune up the squad for their forthcoming 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification matches. The matches are expected to be played between 5 and 13 October. Nigeria will play the winners of the Round…
David De Gea says he is “happy” and looking forward to “good fortune” with Manchester United. The Spaniard has not featured for the United this season as coach Louis van Gaal felt he was not in the right frame of mind to man the post with interest from Real Madrid making the rounds throughout the summer transfer window. The Spanish giants however failed to sign the goalkeeper on transfer deadline day after failing to complete the necessary paperwork in time for club business closure in Spain. He played his first competitive game of the season for Spain against Macedonia in…
A former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has said Nigeria is still backward because it was built on a ‘satanic’ foundation. Fani-Kayode stated this in a Facebook post titled ‘Lord Lugard’s Magic and Flora Shaw’s Spell’. The controversial ex-minister claimed that the diabolic mystery surrounding the manner with which Nigeria was created in 1914, was the reason the country was still struggling to find its feet. According to him, both Lord Fredrick Lugard, who was the first Governor-General of Nigeria; and his wife, Flora Shaw (later Flora Lugard), who gave Nigeria its name, were worshippers of Satan. Fani-Kayode said,…
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has refused to hang the official portrait of President Muhammadu Buhari at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. Checks by the PUNCH revealed that over 100 days after the president assumed office, the main opposition party is yet to hang his portrait at any of the offices in its Wadata House national secretariat, located at Wuse Zone 5, Abuja. The party has also said it would never hang Buhari’s portraits on its walls though it has removed that of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who is a member of the PDP. Explaining why…
Former Enterprise Bank, now Heritage Bank, has apologized to Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah for erroneously listing his name, that of his wife – Zainab and Banana Republic Limited, in its debtors’ list. The list was published by the bank in two national dailies. Mr. Nda-Isaiah is chairman of Banana Republic Ltd. The bank, in a letter dated August 31, 2015 and addressed to Mr. Nda-Isaiah, admitted it erred in portraying him as a debtor and as such, apologized for the embarrassment. “We wish to state regretfully that the inclusion of Banana Republic Limited, your name and that of your wife on…
Foremost traditional ruler, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his leadership style since he took over as Nigeria’s President on May 29. He made the commendation during his condolence visit to Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, on the transition of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade. According to the Alaafin, the successes recorded by the administration since May 29 has shown the world that corruption was an alien and epidemic disease to Nigeria and Africa. The traditional ruler said Buhari had shown his capability to the entire world as a man capable…
The Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola has assured civil servants in the state that they will be paid their outstanding salary arrears before the end of the month. He made the disclosure while speaking at the National flag off ceremony for the distribution of FGN/UBEC plastic chairs and tables to all the states in the country, in Osogbo, the Osun state capital. According to him, his administration is committed to the welfare of its workers. He therefore, reassured them that the eight months salaries owed them will be settled before the end of September. However, the governor expressed dissatisfaction…
While Islamist sect group Boko Haram came off as religious association fighting the cause of Allah, recent findings by the Army has shown that things unbecoming of a religious group. The Army said, yesterday, that its troops usually find condoms, hard drugs and s*x-enhancing drugs in camps captured from Boko Haram insurgents. Army spokesman Col. Sani Usman, said the findings underlined the military’s belief that most Boko Haram militants were not grounded in Islam and were not driven by Islamic ideology. According to Usman, many of the insurgents so far arrested could not even recite the Quran, Islam’s Holy book.…
Venus Williams pushed her younger sister, Serena, the full length in their well anticipated US Open women’s singles last-eight duel on Tuesday, but could not deter the world No. 1 from continuing on the path of a historic campaign in Flushing Meadows. Marin Cilic needed five sets to dispatch Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and set-up a semi-final showdown with Novak Djokovic, but it was Italy’s Roberta Vinci, who first touched down in the last-4 stage of this year’s championship in New York, needing nonetheless a three-setter of her own to dismiss Kristina Mladenovic. The Williams’ Night in New York Popular culture celebrities…
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday held a secret meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting makes it the second time in two months that the two former head of state will be meeting. Last month, a similar meeting was held at the official residence of the president. The meeting, which reportedly lasted for over an hour was held behind closed doors in the President’s office. Obasanjo declined comments when State House Correspondents accosted him after the meeting.
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a review of Nigeria’s foreign missions with the aim of reducing them to increase efficiency. A presidential Committee will therefore be formed to carry out a holistic exercise on the foreign missions, reports have said. At the moment, the country has a total 119 foreign missions which President Buhari said would be too expensive to maintain due to the economic downturn. “Let’s keep only what we can manage. We can’t afford much for now. There’s no point pretending,” the president said after he was briefed on the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has urged Governor Ayodele Fayose to declare his assets. Publicity Secretary of the opposition party, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement said that the call became imperative against the background of earlier calls for the governor to declare his assets, failure of which had fueled speculations that state resources were allegedly being channeled towards private enterprises outside the state by the governor. “The governor must seize the opportunity of declaring his assets to douse speculations of his alleged funneling of the state resources to his private enterprises abroad,” Olatunbosun said. “It is curious…
The National and State Legislative Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal for Adamawa State has adjourned indefinitely to allow the judges prepare judgment on seven petitions filed before it. The Secretary of the tribunal, Falilat Orire, said in Abuja on Tuesday that the Justice Anthony Onovo-led three-member tribunal would notify counsel in the petitions on the day for each judgment. The tribunal sitting in Jabi, Abuja, had entertained eight petitions – one for Senate, one for the House of Representatives and six for the state assembly. The tribunal had earlier struck out one petition challenging the election of an All Progressive Congress’…
A former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Nduese Essien, on Tuesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to publish the names of treasury looters who had returned stolen funds. Mr. Essien made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket, Akwa Ibom State. According to him, publishing the names of the looters will make more impact in the fight against corruption. “President Muhammadu Buhari should publish those names that have willingly returned stolen wealth or those who have been forced to return stolen wealth. ”Let the public know how much has been returned, where…
In his first public outing since he handed over on May 29, 2015 former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, on Tuesday attended the re-election campaign rally of Governor Seriake Dickson at the Samson Siasia Sports complex in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. The ex-president, who endorsed Mr. Dickson’s re-election bid, said the governor remains the best candidate for the job and urged the people to support him for a second term. Also speaking at the event, the governor expressed appreciation to Mr. Jonathan for endorsing him for a second term, adding that the rally marked the official commencement…
Following her decision to skip the 2015 All Africa Games, the National Sports Commission and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria have placed a ban on sprinter, Blessing Okagbare; excluding her from representing the country, at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil. Okagbare, had a dismal outing at the IAAF World championships in Beijing, China. She claimed that injury forced her out of the competition, where Nigerians expected her to win a medal having run the third fastest time of the season in the 100m. After the Beijing meet, Okagbare told officials of the AFN not to expect her in…
But why go to a Meek Mill concert and carry up a poster of his arch-rival? When a fan did that yesterday, Meek went bunkers on stage telling the fan, “Put that Drake sign up again n***a! F**k you talking bout you f**king clown! Don’t ever come in here f**king playing with no Meek Milly trying to pick on me like I’m a f**king dweeb or something.” Source: LIB