Author: Chief Editor

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, rejected the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)’s objection to take the bail application of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari. Justice Inyang Ekwo declined to the objection after counsel for the agency, Mike Kassa, informed that the resplendent (NDLEA) was yet to be served with the bail application. Justice Ekwo, who refused to grant Kassa’s request not to take the bail plea, ordered a lawyer to Kyari, Cynthia Ikena, to serve Kassa in the open court and stood down the matter for an hour. Earlier when the matter was called,…

Justice Obiorah Egwatu of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Wednesday, ordered the interim forfeiture of 10 properties, as well as funds in bank accounts allegedly owned by a former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari. The order, which was sequel to an ex-parte application by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), is to enable the commission conclude its investigation on the affected assets. The interim order would, however, last for 60 days before the commission can then apply for final forfeiture. Meanwhile, Justice Egwatu ordered the ICPC to publicise the order for…

The Chief Whip of the Senate Senator Orji Uzor Kalu yesterday commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , Governor Mai Mala Buni for postponing the party’s national convention earlier scheduled for February 26, 2022. Kalu, in a statement in Abuja, said the decision to postpone the convention was in line with his earlier request to the President and National Caretaker Chairman. He noted that getting it right was more important than just holding a convention for the sake of convention. He said:”For a stronger and a near perfect APC,…

Zamfara State governor Bello Matawalle has nominated Senator Muhammad Hassan Nasiha to replace Mahdi Aliyu Gusau as deputy governor. Zamfara House of Assembly speaker of the House, Nasiru Mua’zu, read a letter from the state Governor Bello Matawalle nominating Senator Nasiha His nomination came hours after Gusau was impeached on Wednesday. Senator Hassan is representing Zamfara Central Senatorial district at the Nigerian Senate. [GuardianNG]

The Federal Government says it has increased its National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme of N70 per day school feeding of a child in public primary school to N100. Dr Umar Bindir, the National Coordinator, National Social Investments Programme (NSIP), said this at a two-day National Consultative meeting on public food procurement in the context of Nigeria’s National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme on Wednesday in Abuja. According to Bindir, the programme is under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. “When we started in 2016 before COVID-19, we experienced with difficulty to implement the N70 per child. “We…

•El-Rufai denies division among colleagues •Confirms they initially disagreed, but now on same page •Party zones offices, adopts PDP formula, swaps positions between North and South •Chairmanship goes to North-central, National Secretary South-west President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, met with governors elected on the platform of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and okayed suggestions for a consensus option at the newly proposed March 26 national convention of the party. Buhari met with the APC governors at the State House, Abuja, for about 15 minutes and discussed the current state of the party and the misgivings about its national convention.…

•Plans recapitalisation of regional bank •Military regimes an aberration in sub-region, says Jonathan Nigeria’s former President and Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of the Wise (CoW), Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has said the sub-region would not accept the five-year transition period proposed by the military government in Mali because it is too long. Jonathan, who is also ECOWAS Chief Mediator on the Mali crisis, said military regimes had become an aberration in the sub-region and could no longer be tolerated. He spoke yesterday in Lagos during a press conference at the end of a two-day…

•Over 64 million vaccine doses received, 24.38 million administered The federal government yesterday formally unveiled a strategy to enable the country achieve its COVID-19 vaccination target. While giving an update on the vaccination exercise, the government said the country has so far taken delivery of 64,113,760 doses of COVID-19 vaccines since vaccination began and has administered 24.8 million doses. Speaking at the launch of the initiative, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire said as at the end January 2022, the country had vaccinated 20 million of her eligible population (about 18 per cent). He commended NPHCDA efforts to expand…

• Activist blames FG as govt assures early resolution • Nasarawa varsity compliance comprehensive, says chairman The House of Representatives has intervened in the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Adopting a motion sponsored by Mr. Dozie Nwankwo at plenary, yesterday, presided by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, the House urged the Ministry of Labour and Employment and ASUU to adhere to the provisions of the previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Action (MoA). The House called on the lecturers to call off the warning strike in the interest…

The planned arraignment of former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, yesterday, at the Federal High Court in Abuja on N2.9 billion corruption charges stalled, as the former governor shunned prosecution. Okorocha, who now represents Imo West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, was absent in court and was also not represented by any lawyer. However, six other defendants billed for arraigned along with him on 17-count corruption charges were in court along with their lawyers. When the matter was mentioned for hearing, counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Cosmos Ugwu, told Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo, that Okorocha…