Author: Chief Editor

Hearing in the suit by former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Kalu, challenging his retrial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in alleged N7.1 billion fraud charges was on Tuesday stalled at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The hearing could not go on because of the claim by a counsel to the EFCC, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), that the anti-graft agency was not properly served with the originating summons. Justice Inyang Ekwo had on February 8, fixed hearing in the substantive matter after granting leave to Kalu to challenge his retrial by the EFCC on the same…

The nominee for the position of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, is going through his Senate confirmation as you read this. Barring any unforeseen events, he is likely to be confirmed. On paper, the appointment is a run-of-the-mill type; a youthful insider with eye-catching academic credentials and numerous overseas training accolades under his belt.  Lest I forget, he also hails from the northern part of Nigeria as were all his predecessors in that post. Other than that, Bawa will assume office with no significant public profile to speak of; no reputation, weight, or capital outside the…

Nigerians on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to order the arrest and investigation of popular Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, over his interactions with bandits in the country. Of late, Sheikh Gumi has been seen in photos holding talks with notorious bandits in the forests of Zamfara, Niger and other states. He had also advocated blanket amnesty for the bandits like was done for the militants in the Niger Delta region. The PUNCH also reported that Sheikh Gumi said bandits had only killed a “few” people accidentally, adding that they killed for “revenge”. Sheikh Gumi’s latest comment attracted outrage on social…

The Senate at the plenary on Tuesday, confirmed the appointment of former service chiefs as non career ambassadors. The confirmation followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, laid by Senator Mohammed Bulkachuwa. Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had on February 10, mandated the Committee on Foreign Affairs to confirm General Abayomi Olonisakin (retd) (Ekiti); Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd) (Borno); Vice Admiral Ibok- Ette Ibas (retd) (Cross River; Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar(retd) (Bauchi); and Air Vice Marshal Muhammad S. Usman (Rtd) (Kano) as non-career ambassadors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Soon after the report was…

Chelsea is looking to bounce back from their disappointment of Sunday fast ahead of tonight’s clash with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. Thomas Tuchel’s side dropped points for only the second time under his watch as they drew 1-1 with Southampton on Saturday. The Blues are now unbeaten in seven games since the German took charge, winning five of those. But failure to beat the Saints means they missed the chance to close the gap on Manchester United and Leicester City, who both recorded Sunday victories. There is no time to rest though, with Champions League action returning this…

“Sign him up Florentino,” Real Madrid’s fans wrote on Twitter before Zinedine Zidane was asked if he sent a message to the club’s president Florentino Perez. Kylian Mbappe had just destroyed Barcelona at Camp Nou and 24 hours later Erling Haaland did the same to Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. By the time Real Sociedad trailed 4-0 on Thursday evening to Manchester United, the feeling in Spain became clear: La Liga was in freefall. Later that night, Granada beat Napoli and Villarreal saw off Salzburg in a competition it should be remembered that was only six months ago won…

• First Astrazeneca vaccine to arrive this week • Nigeria still a moderate Ebola-risk country The Federal Government, yesterday, declared it would not purchase COVID-19 vaccines from private importers or uncertified vaccines from the black market. The government hinged its decision on reports of the proliferation of large-scale fraud and counterfeit vaccines in circulation. Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, announced the decision at the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) briefing on COVID-19. They added that no vaccine would be allowed into the country until they are certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The minister explained…

Nigeria is reported to be the second highest holder of Bitcoins in the whole world after USA, and Nigeria’s holding is about $566 million. It is also noted that one Bitcoin is valued at about N16 million. In effect it is like investment tradable at the Stock Exchange like it is traded in competing Exchange in West Africa – BRVM in Cote d’Ivoire – where about 600,000 legally identifiable entities use it either as a Blockchain Technology product or whatever. Watching Chimezie’s programme on Channels TV, she had contended that it is within the regulatory powers of SEC (Security and…

Like the rest of humankind, the Government and people of Anambra State are delighted that Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has also been the Foreign Minister as well as the World Bank Managing Director, has finally emerged the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is remarkable that Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the first African and the first female to lead this important organization with 164 members and 24 observer governments which was formed on January 1, 1995, to regulate international trade. Her triumph shows Nigeria’s foreign policy is regaining the dynamism of the past decades,…

It is a rather very well known phenomenon that God writes straight, but often with crooked lines! The meaning of that statement is usually that though the purposes of God are excellent for the human persons for whom He allows them, He does not always lead those human beings to those ends with sweet events, all the way through to those ends. Even for those of us who normally would prefer to take ourselves as pagans, in the face of so much religiousity in the modern world, especially in relation with Christianity and Islam, we also recognize these universal truths…