Author: Alade Adisa

Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS) has slammed a N5.5 billion defamation suit on the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for allegedly making a false claim against it. In the legal action it instituted before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Friday, DSS stated that SERAP falsely alleged that DSS operatives invaded its Abuja office. The service told the court that the false claim negatively impacted both its corporate reputation and that of two of its officials- Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele- who were listed as claimants in the matter. SERAP and…

Troops of the Nigerian Army have killed no fewer than 96 terrorists during operations in the Northern parts of the country. According to the Defence Headquarters, a total of 227 suspects, including a terrorist commander identified as Usman Maisaje, were arrested in the operations. Making the announcement in a statement on Friday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Buba Edward said Maisaje was a close associate of a wanted high-profile terrorist leader known as Kachalla Boka. Edward said the suspect was cooperating and providing troops with much-needed intelligence for further operations. The statement stated, “During the week, troops…

lThe Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun has disclosed that Nigeria is the largest importer of vehicles in Africa. Edun made this revelation in Lagos at the zonal sensitization seminar on the National Vehicle Registry (VREG) held on Friday. Represented by Hajia Jumai Katagom, Director, PPP Federal Ministry of Finance, Edu said the VREG became necessary due to the absence of a dynamic and centralized platform for national vehicular information, despite Nigeria being the largest importer of vehicles in Africa with an additional 15 million vehicles operational in the country. He said, “This huge vacuum…

The former deputy national chair (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George has disclosed that he would have left Nigeria if President Bola Tinubu had not sent Femi Gbajabiamila to appeal to him. Recall that in January 2022, after Tinubu announced his presidential bid, George vowed to flee Nigeria, stating: “I will move away from Nigeria. I’ll leave because he will be your representative in the international plane. Which investment will he bring here? ”This is not the kind of person we can hand over this massive country to manage. He will be the greatest joke on the…

Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights lawyer has written to the Senate and House of Representatives to oppose the view expressed by a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), as regards the legal status of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Falana in the letter dated 17 October 2024, addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, disagreed with Agbakoba’s assertion that the EFCC is an “unlawful organization.” The letter read: “Our attention has been drawn to separate letters addressed to the…

The Ogun State Government has begun a recruitment exercise of another batch of 1,000 teachers to fill existing vacancies in public schools in the state. Disclosing the development on Friday, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Abayomi Arigbabu, in a statement said, “Prospective applicants are expected to hold a minimum of a National Certificate in Education (NCE) or a B.A. (Edu)/B.Sc. (Ed)/B.Ed. with a Second Class Lower in relevant subjects/courses.” The State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, in conjunction with the State Teaching Service Commission, the State Universal Basic Education Board and the Ogun State Technical and…

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Thursday, charged journalists and media practitioners to be transparent in discharging their duties as the watchdog of the society, noting that journalists must hold political office holders accountable in the public’s interest. The governor spoke at the opening ceremony of a three-day retreat of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Press Corps, with the theme: ‘Role of the Media in Fostering Development in a Multi-party Democracy,’ held at the Eleventh House Hotel and Suites, Jericho, Ibadan. He spoke through his Chief Press Secretary/Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, who maintained that the media…

Global financial institution, the World Bank has declared that the recent increase in the country’s minimum wage will only benefit just 4.1 percent of working-age Nigerians. According to the World Bank’s lead economist for Nigeria, Alex Sienaert, only a limited segment of the population will be impacted. He shared this during the launch of the Nigeria Development Update (NDU) report in Abuja on Thursday. Sienaert explained that while the wage hike is significant, its direct influence will be minimal, as it primarily affects formal wage earners. He said, “The Federal Government of Nigeria increased the minimum wage, which will affect…

The Federal Government, on Thursday, said it has revoked the contract for the Abuja-Kaduna highway being done by Julius Berger, citing cost irregularities and delays in the project. According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Minister of Works, David Umahi made the announcement during the inauguration of the rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road on Thursday in Abuja. Umahi said the update comes as part of a broader review to ensure the efficient execution of critical infrastructure projects. The minister disclosed that the contract was originally awarded in 2018 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari at a cost…

The Lagos State House of Assembly is preparing to replace the existing 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) with newly designated Administrative Areas. This was part of the discussion at a public hearing for the proposed “Bill for a law to provide for the local government system, establishment, and administration, and to consolidate all laws on local government administration.” President Bola Tinubu created the 37 LCDAs in 2003 when he was governor of Lagos State. The speaker of the assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, represented by Mojisola Meranda, his deputy, noted that the bill is a key step towards improving accountability within…