President Muhammadu
#EndSARS: Nigerian government sets up N25 billion youth fund – minister
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, on Saturday, said the federal government has created a N25bn youth fund as part of efforts to address the dissatisfaction of #EndSARS protesters and other youth-related restiveness in the country. The minister made this known at a stakeholders’ meeting with the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, in Kaduna on Saturday. According to Ahmed, the meeting was in line with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to ministers and governors to dialogue with stakeholders and the youths with a view to addressing their agitations. The minister, who explained that the youth fund would be increased to N75bn within a period of three years, explained that the fund aims to support youths to actualise their entreprene...
#EndSARS: President Buhari urged to probe Lekki shootings
A coalition of women groups, Mothers United and Mobilised (MUM), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute a transparent panel of inquiry into alleged shooting of unarmed EndSARS protesters in Lekki on Tuesday. The coalition made the call in a statement issued on Thursday by its Convener and Co-convener, Dr Boluwaji Onabolu and Mrs Sonye Allanah, respectively. MUM is a group of Nigerian mothers from all walks of life, ethnic and religious groups, based in Nigeria and in Diaspora. The Mothers United and Mobilised said that the probe should unravel “who ordered the shootings, who carried it out and how are they being held accountable.” “We call on President Muhammadu Buhari as Father of the Nation to cease and desist from the use of live bullets and teargas against our children,...
#EndSARS: HURIWA charges President Buhari to set up assets recovery panel
Foremost rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has condemned what it called the silence of President Muhammadu Buhari over protests against operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, a unit of the Nigeria Police Force, in the past two weeks. The group in a statement issued by its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, on Thursday, claimed that “certain ethno-religious extremists have been paid by some government officials to stoke the embers of ethno–religious division to graphically paint the #EndSARS movements with ethnic and religious colourations.” The statement noted that youths of the country are angry “because the elders who have had access to public offices and those wielding political powers have continuously feasted on the comm...
NSA: President Buhari to announce critical solution to #EndSARS protest in hours
The National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, says President Muhammadu Buhari is to announce a critical solution to the #EndSARS protest in a couple of hours. Monguno, who made this known at the end of the fourth National Security Council meeting, presided by the president in Abuja on Thursday said Buhari also directed all security agencies to always operate within the confine of legitimacy and legality. He said the president also urged the security agencies to always avoid anything that would aggravate the nation’s security challenges. He also stated that the president would soon come up with certain solutions to address the security challenges in the country, saying the president directed that government would also do all it could to arrive at ...
Governor Sanwo-Olu: I have been unable to speak with President Buhari
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, said he was yet to speak directly with President Muhammadu Buhari concerning the shooting of #EndSARS protesters in the State. Sanwo-Olu in an interview on Thursday said he called Buhari twice but he was at the Federal Executive Meeting, FEC, on Wednesday. The Governor stated that the Chief of Defense Staff called him on behalf of the President but did not disclose details of the phone call. He said, ”I have not spoken to president Muhammadu Buhari directly. I called the President twice but the first time he was not at the office. The second time he was at the FEC meeting. ”Although the Chief of Defense staff called me and acknowledge that the President received my message.” As of the time of filing this report, there have been calls for President ...
Edo election: Impunity responsible for APC’s defeat – Odigie Oyegun
YouTube A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Monday attributed the loss by the party during the September 19 governorship election in Edo State to the dynamic nature of democracy. While noting that the electorate voted en masse in line with their conscience, he added that impunity and imposition of candidate at the party’s primaries also contributed to the loss. In an interview with journalist in Benin, Oyegun commended President Muhammadu Buhari for not interfering in the process but allowed the people’s will to prevail. He also lauded Oba Ewuare II for his timely intervention at brokering peace between the major actors and stakeholders of the APC and the PDP. He said, “It is democracy within the parties and impunity within the parties,...
President Buhari vows to check ‘greed of a callous few’
President Muhammadu Buhari has stressed the need for all arms of government to deploy resources to address the common needs of all citizens rather than the greed of a callous few. The president made the call at the 2nd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption and launch of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy, organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in Abuja on Monday. The summit has the theme: “Together Against Corruption”. According to him, the National Ethics and Integrity Policy project the government’s aspiration for the rediscovery of cherished traditional ethical values of honesty, integrity, hard work, truth, justice, unity, faith, and consideration for one another, irrespective of status or background. He reiterated his ear...
ICPC uncovers N5.17 billion fraud in education, agric ministries
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has uncovered diversion of part of the N2.67 billion payments made to some Federal Colleges for school feeding during lockdown. The Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, who stated this at the 2nd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption with the theme: “Together Against Corruption and Launch of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy”, said preliminary investigation had indicated that part of the N2.67billion was diverted to private accounts. The event, presided over President Muhammadu Buhari, was held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday. The ICPC boss said: “We observed that transfer to sub-Treasury Single Account was to prevent disbursement from being monitored. ...
No plans to Scrap NNPC in the PIB – minister
The Federal Government on Monday said that there are no plans to Scrap the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC in the Petroelum Industry Bill 2020 that has been transmitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari. Answering questions from Journalists in Abuja after an interactive meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly, Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, who allayed the fears of staff of the Corporation and Nigerians, said that the bill seeks for the commercialisation of NNPC and not outright scrapping. The meeting which was Presided over by the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, with the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other Leaders of the National Assembly in attendance is aimed at discussing the deta...
Nigerian traders in Ghana attempting suicide over maltreatment
Some Nigerian traders in Ghana are considering suicide as option, following rising cases of frustrations, biting hunger and sad feelings of grave abandonment occasioned by the recent actions taken by Ghanaian government against the traders, Progressives Ambassadors of Nigeria has said. Many shops belonging to Nigerian traders were shut in Ghana following a $1m levy imposed on them by the government of the West African country. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Nigeria’s Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, subsequently visited the country with a view to resolving all the issues. But Daily Trust gathered that the Ghanaian government has not heeded the pleas of the Vice President and the Speaker. Speaking on the latest development on Monday in a statement, the PAN Director of...
NIS deploys ‘special force’ to fight bandits in North-west
YouTube The Nigerian Immigration Service on Monday said it will deploy a 2,000-strong Special Force in the North-west to restore peace and security in the region. The Comptroller General, Muhammad Babandede, stated this during the passing out parade of 320 First Batch of pioneer Special Force of the Service, at the NIS Training School in Kano. Babandede said the deployment was imperative to address security challenges and enhance peacebuilding process in the region. He noted that special operation in the North-west “was a definitive military initiative”, to respond to criminal activities like arson; kidnapping, armed banditry and cattle rustling prevalent in the area. He said: “The level of insecurity in the North-west zone has constituted a threat to national security. “This training i...
Subsidy removal: Nigerian government sets up modalities to disburse 2,000 buses
The Federal Government on Monday in Abuja has set up modalities for the disbursement of 2, 000 buses to cushion effects of subsidy removal. Dr George Akume, Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs in his speech at Inter-Ministerial Stakeholders meeting on Poverty Alleviation, said the initiative was also part of programme to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty. Akume said the initiative was in collaboration between his ministry, Agriculture and other government agencies saying the disbursement of the buses would be through cooperative societies of Nigeria. He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari in his 2019 democracy speech, promised to lift 100 Nigerians out of poverty through numerous governments` initiatives. “The alleviation of poverty in Nigeria has been and...
