Governor
PDP condemns attack on Borno governor
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the attack on the convoy of the Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, by insurgents during which at least 15 security operatives attached to the governor were killed. In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, Sunday, the party said the repeated attack on the governor and the rising wave of terrorist attacks reinforce the necessity of rejigging the nation’s security apparatchik. The party said the incident corroborated Mr Zulum’s insistence that the security architecture in the North-East axis is being compromised. Mr Zulum’s convoy was attacked by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in an evening ambush in the Monguno-Maiduguri axis. The attacks came barely 48 hours after the group ambushed the governor’s convoy along Cross K...
Plateau government denies taking $359 million loan from AfDB
Plateau State government has denied the allegation of taking $350m African Development Bank, AfDB loan saying such allegation is frivolous as the government only took $11.2 million of which, 70% of the amount is being committed to infrastructure, 20% to capacity building and 10% for project management. A former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, last Thursday at a webinar discussing why Plateau State lost its relevance at the national stage, accused the Governor, Simon Lalong of non-performance despite taking loans that have no impact on the lives of citizens. Dalung said, “$350 million (N140 billion) was approved for the Plateau State governemnt by the Federal Executive Council for the purpose of the potato value chain. I was a serving Minister at the time, so I was part of tha...
Ondo election: Governor Akeredolu warns Nyesom Wike to steer clear
The Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has warned his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, to steer clear of the October 10 governorship election in the state. Wike had on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Friday declared that Eyitayo Jegede of the Peoples Democratic Party will win the Ondo Governorship election. The Rivers governor claimed that the All Progressives Congress was putting INEC under pressure to win the poll for Akeredolu, having lost in Edo State. However, Akeredolu, who spoke through the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Donald Ojogor, said there would not be any room for Wike to influence the process of the October 10 election. He said, “In all aspects, Governor Wike deserves respect not just as governor but as a critical stakeholder in the dem...
Bayo Adelabu: No governor should flaunt payment of salary as achievements
Oyo State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 elections, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has said no governor should flaunt payment of salary of workers as achievements. He said this while speaking with newsmen in Ibadan as part of activities marking his 50th birthday. To him, payment of salaries of workers is done through statutory allocations that states across the country receive on monthly basis. He said, “No state needs a governor before salary is paid. When salary is paid through statutory allocations and it goes straight to the Accountant General, they take it to the bank and they pay. Why must that be the major achievement of any governor? Adelabu who is a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria also said embarking on populist is not susta...
Why APC ‘suspended’ Ekiti governor
The State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has suspended Governor Kayode Fayemi. Fayemi was accused of holding meetings and fraternising with PDP members like Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. According the statement, Fayemi was suspended due to “his numerous anti-party activities, especially his role in the recently concluded governorship election in Edo State which is contrary to the provisions of Article 21 (A) (ii) of the APC constitution.” The Ekiti chapter of the APC claims that five days before the Edo election, Fayemi hosted FFK in government house Ekiti. “For five days prior to the Edo election, Gov Fayemi hosted PDP big wig Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode in the government house in Ado Ekit...
Lagos seeks monthly payment of house rent for residents
The Lagos State Government has called on stakeholders in real estate sector to work out modalities for residents to pay house rents on monthly basis instead of yearly. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made the call on Thursday in Lekki, during the Policy Roundtable Dialogue with key stakeholders in the Real Estate Sector. The roundtable, with the theme ”International Best Practices On Real Estate Regulations”, was organised by the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA). Sanwo-Olu said that a situation whereby residents faced pressure once their rents were due was not palatable, hence, should be looked into. He called for synergy between the state government and stakeholders in the real estate sector to address issue of housing deficit and reduce rents in the st...
Bayelsa election: Governor Diri, INEC ask appeal court to reverse tribunal’s judgment
Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State on Thursday in Abuja asked the Court of Appeal to reverse the decision of the Bayelsa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which nullified the November 16, 2019 governorship poll in the state. Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have also approached the appellate court asking it to reverse the tribunal’s judgement. In their separate appeals, the appellants prayed the court to uphold that the conduct of the governorship election and its outcome which produced Mr Diri as governor complied with relevant laws. Arguing on behalf of Mr Diri, his counsel, Chris Uche, (SAN), told the court that the case of the first respondent (Advanced Nigerian Democratic Party (ANDP)) was statute barred as ...
California vows to ban sale of new petrol vehicles in 2035
US West Coast state to join 15 nations that have set similar goals in order to fight climate change. California plans to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks starting in 2035 in a dramatic move to shift to electric vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Governor Gavin Newsom has said. Newsom told a press conference on Wednesday that the most populous state in the United States was committing to a “firm goal” to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 and was encouraging other states to take similar action. Newsom’s order labelled the elimination of gasoline-powered vehicles a “goal” and a “target” after his office said earlier that his order would require the sale of nothing but zero-emission passenger vehicles starting in 2035. The move...
Oyo governor flags off construction of 360 housing units, Ajoda new town estate
Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday, flagged off the construction of 360 Housing Units at the Ajoda New Town Estate, located on the New Ibadan-Ife Expressway. The estate, which is estimated to cost about Two Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira (N2.5 billion), according to the governor, will enhance affordable housing to all and sundry in the state. A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying that the strategic location of the new estate will ensure that the investors make quick returns on their investments. In another development, Governor Makinde, also, on Wednesday, handed over the Agbowo Shopping Complex, Ibadan, to investors who have committed to turning around the fortunes of the abandoned complex in ...
Edo election: US expresses concern over vote-buying, intimidation of voters
The United States Government Wednesday said it is concerned over recorded cases of vote-buying and intimidation of voters and observers during last Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State. The US government in a statement by the United States Mission in Nigeria, also applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the Nigerian security services on the positive role they played in the election. According to the statement posted on its verified twitter handle, @USinNigeria, said the US government also recognizes the critical role that Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, during the exercise. The statement reads: “Congratulations to the people of Edo State on a credible and pea...
Nigerian doctor named one of TIME’s Most Influential People in the world
TIME named Nigerian physician Tunji Funsho to the 2020 TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The full list and related tributes are available now at time.com/time100, and Mr Funsho’s TIME100 profile is available here. The list, now in its seventeenth year, recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals. Mr Funsho, a cardiologist based in Lagos, Nigeria, is the first Rotary member to receive this honour for the organisation’s work to eradicate polio, having played an essential role in ensuring Africa’s certification as wild polio-free in August of 2020. “I’m honored to be recognized by TIME for my part in ensuring that no child in Africa will ever again be paralyzed by wild polio, a disease that once disabl...
President Buhari describes demise of two Borno emirs as ‘rare double tragedy’, painful loss
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of two Borno Emirs as a “rare double tragedy” and a painful loss to the people of Nigeria. Buhari in a condolence letter he sent to Gov. Babagana Zulum and the people of Borno, commended the roles played by the late Shehu of Bama, Umar El-Kanemi, and the Emir of Biu, Mustapha Aliyu, in maintaining peace and stability in their respective emirates, especially in the wake of violence caused by the Boko Haram insurgents. Presenting the letters on behalf of Buhari, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who led the federal government delegation, commended Gov. Zulum for his foresight, commitment, devotion and courage for his peace building efforts to restore normalcy in his state. “We would like to pray to God to change the situation fro...
