Chairman
Senate president receives first dose of coronavirus vaccine, calls for more sensitisation
The President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, took the lead at the National Assembly on Tuesday when he received the first jab of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine was administered on him in his fourth floor office by his personal physician, Dr Muhammad Usman, while the vaccination card was presented to him by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary), Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe. Speaking shortly after receiving the jab, Lawan called for more advocacy and sensitization on the vaccine, appealing to Nigerians to make themselves available for the vaccination. He congratulated the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 for working so hard to ensure that the vaccine is available for Nigerians. While urging the PTF to get more of the vaccine and variety of it in ...
Gombe to pay retirees outstanding gratuity, releases N775 million
Gombe State government is set to commence the payment of another tranche of outstanding gratuity to retired civil servants in the state. A statement by director-general, media and public affairs, to the state government, Ismaila Misili, noted that this followed the release of N775 million by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for the payment of the retirees’ benefits. He said sequel to the governor’s directives, the committee set up by the governor to verify and ascertain the correctness of outstanding gratuity owed state retirees has concluded arrangements to commence the payment and therefore requests retired state civil servants from January to December 2015, to come forward for verification and collection of their entitlements. “The exercise, according to the chairman of the committee and...
ICPC drops forgery charges against ex-presidential aide
File Photo The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has amended the corruption and certificate forgery charges it filed against an ex-presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla. The amendment, coming less than two months after Obono-Obla and his co-defendants were arraigned by the commission, reduced the number of counts from 10 to five. The amended charges filed at the High Court of the FCT, in Apo, Abuja, on March 4 and seen by newsmen on Sunday, also revealed that the anti-corruption agency has backtracked on its allegations of certificate forgery sensationally levelled against Obono-Obla in 2019. Obono-Obla, a former special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecutions, was suspended by the President as the chairman of the Special Presidential Inv...
FIFA exco: Delta sports commission boss congratulates NFF supremo
Chief Tonobok Okowa, Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, has congratulated Amaju Pinnick, his predecessor and current President, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over his victory as a member of the FIFA Council in the just concluded Confederation of African Football (CAF) Elections. Chief Tonobok who expressed joy over the victory said it’s a win for all. Chief Tonobok said, “A warm congratulations to my brother my friend, a son of the soil. He is a goal getter.” He added, “Amaju Pinnick victory is a victory for all in Delta State, Nigeria and Africa. The victory will bring a new height to the development of our Football, we now have a strong voice in the Apex body of football.” Meanwhile, South Africa’s business mogul, Dr Patrice Motsepe, was elected the new CAF president. Dr. Motse...
PDP governors inaugurate finance, legal affairs, legislative liaison committees
File Photo Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party have inaugurated three committees of the forum, namely Finance, Legal Affairs and Legislative Liaison. This was one of the outcomes of the meeting of the forum held Thursday at the Conference Hall, Sokoto State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja. A communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the Chairman of the Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State says the Finance Committee is chaired by Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and has as members Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo and Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom. The Legislative Liaison Committee has Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi as chairman, while Gov. Okowa, Gov Ifean...
Nigerian monarchs demand roles in constitutional review
The National Traditional Council of Nigeria has called on the National Assembly Joint Committee on the review of the 1999 constitution to ensure a constitutional provision is made with a view to creating roles for traditional rulers in matters involving religion, culture, security, justice and other ancillary matters. The council also accused the regimes of Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo of relegating the traditional institution to the background with no constitutional role. The Chairman of the council and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, said late Gen. Ironsi’s 1966 Unitary Government Decree, Gen. Gowon’s and Gen. Obasanjo’s 1967 and 1976 Local Government Reforms Decrees respectively, stripped traditional rulers of their powers an...
AAC disowns Omoyele Sowore as its chair
The leadership of the African Action Congress (AAC) on Wednesday said that the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Omoyele Sowore has been expelled by the party’s highest decision making organ and he is therefore presently unknown to the party. The party also in a petition to the Inspector General of Police claimed that the convener of the Revolution Now’s utterances and behavior have become a security risk and should be investigated by the security agencies before he plugs the country into crisis. Addressing journalists in Abuja, the National Chairman of AAC, Dr. Leonard Nzenwa said the letter by Sowore to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, claiming to be the Chairman of the party amounted to impersonation. Dr. Nzenwa, who is also the National Chairman o...
2023: PRP not joining Mega party – chairman
The National Chairman of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) says it has no plans to merge with any group or political party to form the proposed Mega Party ahead of 2023 poll. Mr Falalu Bello, National Chairman, PRP said this when he spoke at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday. According to Bello, the party is not merging with any group. “We are not. That is not to say that we have not been invited. About 10 days ago, their secretary got across to me and advised me of the fact that we are invited to belong to the committee. “And I said let me have a formal invitation and what they stand for. I will go to my National Executive Committee, brief them, get their mandate for me or any other person to represent the party. “The party do not belong to me. PRP has its own leadership. “I have seen ...
Committee of Vice Chancellors appoints new chairman
The Committee of Vice Chancellors in Nigeria has appointed the vice chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Sulyman A. Abdulkareem as its chairman. Also, the vice chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof. Mrs. Lilian Salami has been appointed by the committee to serve as alternate chairperson. In a statement signed by the secretary- general of the committee, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, the decision was taken during a virtual and physical meeting which took place at its secretariat in Abuja. While wishing the executive officers success in their mandate and in the discharge of their responsibilities, the secretary- general said a lot was expected from them as the nation looks up to universities in solving its socioeconomic and political challenges. The statement reads: ” The Committee of V...
Minister: PIB will address production sharing contracts issues on gas
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, says the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) currently before the National Assembly will resolve the issues under the Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) on gas. Sylva made this known at a National Assembly Public Hearing organised by the Joint Committee on Gas Resources, Petroleum Resources, Upstream and Downstream, on Monday, in Abuja. The hearing was on the topic: “Inclusion of Gas Terms in Production Sharing Contracts by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).” He said that issues on gas terms was not captured under the PSC especially with the commercial aspect. “Issues on gas terms was not captured in the PSC because at the time, the offshore was just a frontier territory, today, it is no longer frontier, it is a...
Nigeria threatens to ban flights from UAE, Netherlands
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has threatened to ban flights from the UAE and The Netherlands as a reciprocal action. The task force said the Ministry of Aviation and its relevant agencies have been mandated to take the necessary reciprocal measures as may be permissible under the laws and other international obligations expected to be discharged against Emirates airlines operating from the UAE and other airlines from The Netherlands. Mr Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, disclosed this at the routine briefing of the committee in Abuja on Monday. Mustapha said: “For over a month, Nigeria has been engaged with the authorities of the UAE and The Netherlands over pre-departure testing requirements passengers should meet before ...
Protest as PDP sweeps Delta council polls
File Photo Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) on Sunday in Asaba returned all the 25 chairmanship candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as winners in Saturday’s local government elections. The PDP chairmanship candidates won the election in their respective local government areas, with landslide, according to the various returning officers. Declaring the announcement of results open, chairman of DSIEC, Mike Ogbodu said the election was conducted in observance of COVID-19 protocols, adding that the exercise was generally peaceful. Although, the All Progressive Congress (APC) which is the main opposition party, pulled out midway into the polls, the returning officers insisted that the elections were contested. Publicity secretary of the APC in the state, Sylvest...
