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After extensive consultations, the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday submitted the name of Yahaya Bello as the party’s new candidate for Kogi governorship supplementary poll. Bello replaces Prince Abubakar Audu, who died last weekend after leading the poll with 41,000. It was also learnt that the APC has retained Hon. James Abiodun Faleke as the party’s deputy governorship candidate. Mohammed Audu, the son of the late governorship candidate, was dumped by the party because the party felt that fielding him might vitiate the entire governorship poll in the state. But the people of Kogi West were mounting pressure on Faleke yesterday not to accept the nomination of Bello. Although they asked Faleke to withdraw from the race, the deputy governorship candidate was yet to make up his mind on the next step at press time. Investigation revealed that APC leaders, with the backing of some forces in the Presidency, opted for Bello because he came second in the party’...

President Muhammadu Buhari in his Independence show on Thursday (today) guaranteed Nigerians that his legislature was not oppressing anyone but rather said all must be prepared to represent their deeds. Acquiring from his inaugural discourse on May 29, Buhari said, “I bear no malevolence against anybody on past occasions. No one ought to apprehension anything from me. “We are not after anybody. Individuals ought to just apprehension the results of their activities. I therefore welcome everybody, whatever his or her political perspective, to go along with me in working for the country.” Promotion Nigeria today checks 55 years of autonomy, having secured its opportunity from the British colonialists on October 1, 1960. The President said the subjects expected to praise despite the circumstance in the nation, thou he lamented that we had not completely misused solidarity of reason as a country favored with unlimited human and common assets. Buhari told Nigerians: “...

Welcome Address by The President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (CON) to Senators of the 8th Senate on the Resumption of the Senate from Recess. Tuesday, 29th September, 2015. Protocol: Distinguished colleagues, I heartily welcome you back from our annual recess. I hope you had a very rewarding time with your families and your constituencies. I also hope that the period of recess has afforded you opportunities to reflect on the enormous task before this Senate in the months ahead. I believe that we have all resumed today with greater vigour and higher commitment to serve our fatherland and serve the cause of democracy. In the face of the great challenges that our country faces on different fronts, which urgently demands our attention, we must be prepared to put in the long extra hours to make up for the precious time we have lost for sundry reasons. As we resume today, we must demonstrate clearly to Nigerians that we are prep...

For some obvious reasons, the Nigerian Senate has been on the spotlight in recent weeks, no thanks to the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and other controversial issues revolving around the upper chamber. Our correspondent chronicles the events and issues that will dominate and shape the Red Chamber in days to come.   By tomorrow, legislators who have been on recess will return to the Red Chamber to commence their legislative duties needed for the stimulation of the country’s economy. Before the latest break, the legislators had gone on recess three times in view of the hiccups that trailed the emergence of Senate President Bukola Saraki on June 9th when the 8th Assembly was proclaimed. Like the three previous recesses, the six weeks holiday which will elapse tomorrow, was equally characterised by issues and events that put the Red Chamber and the lawmakers in the news. Although some of the issues have come and gone, those still hanging will no doubt d...

The Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Seriake Dickson, on Thursday denied owing his former Senior Special Assistant on Non-Indigenes, Chief Chinedu Mba, one year salary arrears and allowances. Dickson in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Treasury and Accounts, Mr. Timipre Seipulou, said Mba was ungrateful and called on members of the public to ignore him. Mba recently resigned his appointment, citing among other things non-payment of salaries and allowances, daily intimidation and harassment from the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and confiscation of his official car. But the governor described the claims as false, malicious and a well calculated attempt to impugn on his reputation. According to him, the government has always lived up to its financial obligations to workers and was “not owing any of his aides including Mbah.” He said: “available financial records reveal that Mbah was paid his remunerations to dat...

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to ensure the security and well-being of Nigerian pilgrims. He gave the directive in a statement to commiserate with King Salman, the people of Saudi Arabia and the worldwide Islamic community over the tragic loss of lives in Friday’s crane collapse at the Grand Mosque of Mecca in which not less that 107 persons died. As details of the deaths and injuries sustained in the unfortunate incident unfolds, President Buhari urged the officials to closely monitor developments and take necessary action. He urged Nigerians to pray for the continued safety of their compatriots who are currently in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj. According to the a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Sehu, Buhari also prayed that Almighty Allah will receive the souls of those killed in the incident and grant the injure...

Labour unions in Osun State under the aegis of Osun State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council have warned Governor Rauf Aregbesola against paying workers half salaries for the month of March 2015. The JNC said the plan to pay them half of their salaries for the month of March was a violation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties before the workers suspended their strike. A copy of the communiqué was made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Friday. The letter which was signed by the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Jacob Adekomi; Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Mr. Wakeel Amudah and others urged Aregbesola to direct the Accountant General of the state and the Accountant of the Ministry of Local Government not to release the half salaries. The workers said they would decide on the next line of action to take should the governor refuse to rescind the decision to pay them half salaries. The communiqué read, “It was on ...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed Nigerian workers and the Civil Society for standing up firmly against corruption, calling their open demonstration of support for the Federal Government’s battle against corruption a major boost to the anti-graft fight. In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Nigerian workers’ unambiguous stand against cor ruption is also a clear repudiation of all those who have attempted to politicize the battle either by insinuating selectivity or saying the government should face governance instead of dwelling on the fight against corruption. ‘’Thursday’s nationwide demonstrations by Nigerian workers and the Civil Society in support of the anti-corruption battle is the clearest indication yet that corruption is now seen for what it is, a vice to be condemned and punished rather than something to be venerated and celebrated. The growing intolerance for corruption am...

The lawmaker member representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Linus Okorie, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly call Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state to order on the purported appointment of two foreign forensic audit firms to look into federal government revenue generating agencies from 2010 to 2015. In a statement in Abakaliki, Mr. Okorie observed that neither the Mr. Oshiomohole-led National Executive Council Adhoc Committee on Excess Crude Accounts and Remittances to the Federation Account nor the NEC itself has the power under the constitution to make the purported appointments. He also stated that even if they had the legal authority, the said appointment is contrary to the clear provisions of the Public Procurement Act 2007, adding that the NEC created under the part 1 of the third schedule 1999 constitution (as amended) is merely an advisory body to the President and has no authority to enter ...

President Muhammadu Buhari assured officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs that part of the money his administration would recover from looters would be used to fund the ministry. He gave the assurance when ?the  Permanent Secretary, Ezekiel Oyemomi, led officials of the ministry to brief ?the President on its activities and challenges at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He assured that the resettlement and comfort of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) remains a top priority of his administration. This is even as the President said no amount of intrigues would make him relent in the war against corruption. Oyemomi  told State House correspondents that they briefed Buhari on all its activities at the end of which he realized that his ministry was demanding. He said, “when you look at what the ministry is set up to do, we cut across 70 per cent of the population dealing with the issues of women, children, the vulnerable, people with disabilities, the d...