Author: Alade Adisa

The senate has confirmed the appointment of all seven ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu, submitted to the upper chamber last week for accelerated consideration. This follows the screening of the nominees by the upper chamber on Wednesday. The screening exercised was held at the red chamber after it was postponed on Tuesday.The Senate suspended its rule to admit the ministerial nominees.The lawmakers began with Nentawe Yilwatda, the nominee appointed to replace Betta Edu as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.They subsequently screened other appointees including Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu nominated as the Minister of State Foreign Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi…

Alex Ikwechegh, a member of the House of Representatives representing Aba North and South, who assaulted a bolt driver two days ago has been granted ₦500,000 by a Kuje Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. Ikwechegh was arraigned on a three-count charge of abuse of office, assault, and threat to life, following allegations by the Inspector General of Police that he assaulted a Bolt driver, Stephen Abuwatseya, outside his Abuja residence. The lawmaker pleaded not guilty to the charges. After taking his plea, Ikwechegh’s counsel made an oral bail application, which Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id granted with specific conditions. The magistrate said,…

To drive development in Ondo State, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has vowed to use the 2025 budget to improve various infrastructure across the state. Governor Aiyedatiwa said his administration will meticulously capture the developmental needs of every part of the state. This development was made known through the state government’s social media page on Tuesday during the campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akoko North West Local Government Area (LGA). At the rally, Aiyedatiwa said, “The 2025 budget will be well-structured to ensure that no part of Ondo State is left behind. We are already making progress across…

After the initial rescheduling, the Senate has commenced the screening of ministerial nominees which were forwarded to the upper legislative chamber by President Bola Tinubu.The nominees were to be screened on Tuesday, but the exercise was postponed till Wednesday for adequate preparation.The Senate commenced the screening at exactly 1:10 pm on Wednesday.All the seven nominees have been listed on the Order Paper for screening, with Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda from Plateau State being the first.Others are Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, Bianca Odinaka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole and Suwaiba Said Ahmad.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has been stopped from further releasing monthly financial allocations to the Rivers State government by the Federal High Court in Abuja.The court held that the receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January this year by Governor Siminalayi Fubara is a constitutional somersault and aberration that must not be allowed to continue.Issuing the order on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, held that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Fubara before a four-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to the Constitutional provision.Specifically, the Judge said that Fubara action in implementing unlawful budget smacked…

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has initiated legal proceedings against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of threats regarding his arrest, detention, and prosecution following the conclusion of his gubernatorial tenure.According to NAN, the governor, represented by his attorney Darlington Ozurumba, filed a fundamental right enforcement suit before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court in Abuja.Ozurumba informed the judge during the court session on Tuesday, that he had withdrawn the previous originating summons and replaced it with a new one.The counsel stated that the EFCC had been properly served with the updated court documents.However,…

Olufemi Soneye, the spokesperson of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has said he is not aware of any fresh Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) pump price increase across its retail outlets.According to the Daily Post, Soneye said in an interview on Tuesday, “There is no increase in gasoline price that I am aware of. “Soneye’s comment comes amid speculation that NNPCL had increased fuel pump from N1,030 per litre to N1060 in Abuja.In the same vein, the spokesperson of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, said NNPCL’s ex-depot price has not changed.He said, “For us independent marketers,…

A former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri has commended President Bola Tinubu for running an inclusive government that will enhance the country’s unity and stability.In a statement yesterday, Omokri said some people’s claims that the president’s appointments are lopsided are untrue, as the appointments reflect the federal character principles enshrined in the 1999 Constitution as amended.Some weeks ago, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticised the president’s recent appointments as lopsided.Omokri, however, dismissed the claim as untrue, noting that available records showed Tinubu’s appointments complied with the constitutional provisions on federal character.His statement…

The World Bank has advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to refrain from intervening in the foreign exchange market through forex auctions. The Bretton Woods Institution also advised the CBN to continuously reaffirm the commitment to exchange rate flexibility by adopting a comprehensive, systematic, and transparent framework for foreign exchange interventions. The World Bank policy advisory was included in the Nigeria Development Update, offering recommendations to stabilize the naira against foreign currencies. The CBN had auctioned $876.26m to end users via a retail Dutch auction on August 26, 2024, a major move away from its traditional sales of foreign…

A court in Belgium sentenced more than 100 people in a mass drugs trafficking trial on Tuesday which authorities hailed as a major victory in the battle against drug gangs. Per Reuters, Belgium has been on the front line in Europe’s war against drugs. Officials have said more than 100 of Europe’s most dangerous criminal networks operate in Belgium, with drug gangs blamed for a rise in street shootings in Brussels. The convictions resulted from the earlier takedown by law enforcement authorities of the Sky ECC encrypted messaging service that had been widely used by drugs traffickers. “More than 100…