Author: Chief Editor

•Okays establishment of defence research and devt bureau The House of Representatives has approved the federal government’s request for $6.183 billion (N2.343 trillion) as external borrowing in 2021 Appropriation Act. The approval followed the consideration and adoption of clauses in the report presented by the committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management, chaired by Hon. Ahmed Dayyabu Safana. The House also gave approval for the bill seeking to establish a Defence Research and Development Bureau (DRDB) to conduct and coordinate robust research and development in the Armed Forces of Nigeria. The approval was sequel to the consideration and adoption of…

Abimbola Adelakun In May, Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, was asked to clarify the statement he made nine years ago about the Fulani and their propensity to carry out maniacal violence against others. Rather than show that he had reflected on his injudicious remark and was ready to disclaim it, he doubled down. According to him, “The Fulani (man) never forgets…when he is innocently targeted and killed and the authorities do nothing. He will never forget and he will come back for revenge.” El-Rufai might be someone whose humanity needs tweaking, but he is not ignorant. If he says the…

Niran Adedokun On Tuesday, the Presidency expressed triumphalist emotions over two recent events spearheaded by the country’s security forces. The first is the re-arrest of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. The second is the midnight invasion of the home of Chief Sunday Adeyemo, otherwise known as Sunday Igboho. Adeyemo is the chief promoter of the Oduduwa nation idea and self-imposed defender of Yoruba land from the incursion of marauding Fulani herders who hitherto killed, maimed and violated the sanctity of families. Government and its agencies obviously, but erroneously, consider these men to be their main…

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, on Thursday received the report of the five-man reconciliation committee led by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the former governor of Osun state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Makinde inaugurated the committee on Nov. 13, 2020, before the Zonal Executives of the party were inaugurated. The committee had as one of its tmandate to look into the various challenges confronting the party in the zone and reconcile aggrieved factions. The governor, who received the report in his office in Ibadan, said that the report of the committee came at the right time. According…

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, has defended the arrest of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, saying there was no illegality in the manner of arrest of the IPOB leader. He has also described the views of the Solicitor General of Alberta in Canada, Mr. Kelechi Amadi, regarding the arrest of Kanu as an “outrageously ignoramus opinion that is eccentric and weird”. Malami stated this yesterday in a statement that was issued by the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Office of the…

Her passion for music got her involved in the church young choir at an early age of 8, which she later transitioned into an adult choir. Since then she hasn’t looked back. The artist came into the limelight after winning the Nigerian Idol, which was in its second edition in 2012. The competition paved the way for her upcoming music career. Mercy officially kicked off her career by dropping the very first single dubbed ‘Testimony’ in 2015 and ‘Igwe ‘ consecutively in the following year. The two singles were well received, and the netizens started taking notice of the fast-rising…

The House of Representatives, yesterday, resolved to reserve five per cent of revenues accruing from power generated from power generating companies for the development of host communities. A bill aimed at achieving the objective scaled the second reading at plenary presided over by Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila. Sponsor of the bill, Babajimi Benson, explained that the proposed legislation seeks to amend the Power Sector Reform Act 2005. Benson argued that provision of certain funds for the development of host communities was a global best practice, adding that such funds, often referred to as Trust Funds, exist in Canada,…

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano has urged the media to continue to promote national integration and unity among Nigerians. Ganduje made the call in Kano, shortly after presenting keys of vehicles, the state government donated to the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ (NUJ), Kano State Council and the NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel. “We need unity in Nigeria now, more than ever. Journalists are the ones to promote this. “They are always in the forefront of peace and stability. We will continue to assist them so that they can continue doing their job. “Our diversity should be regarded as an opportunity to make…

• Injustice, lack of equity, insecurity greatest threat to country’s survival not IPOB Former military governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (retd), has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s government of exhibiting poor skills in managing the diversity in the country. In a statement, yesterday, entitled, ‘‘Nigeria: A nation challenged,’’ he said it was quite strange and disturbing that the Federal Government was according undue attention to the threats of separatist movements in contrast to the more daunting ones posed by bandits, kidnappers and insurgents in the Northwest, some parts of North Central and Northeast. The former governor, who is…

• Buhari gets Senate’s approval for N2.3tr foreign loan request • Senate okays N982b supplementary budget, increases proposal by N86.9b • FG to fund N5.62tr deficit in 2022 budget with loans • Nigeria on debt precipice, spent N1.8tr on debt servicing between Jan & May 2021 • Government records debt service to revenue ratio of 98% Following yesterday’s approval by Senate of a fresh $6.18 billion external loan request by the executive, there are indications that Nigeria’s documented public debt may exceed N35.5 trillion before end of the year. The Senate, yesterday, approved a fresh $6.18 billion (which amounts to…