Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has said judges’ involvement in Nigeria’s elections should be completely eliminated. Falana, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, said the Nigerian electorate should determine who governs them and not a few judges. He was referring to recent court judgements that have sacked some governors. He said it was only in Nigeria that judges determine the results of elections, calling on the country to learn from what transpired recently during Liberia and Sierra Leone general elections. Falana said: “The stakeholders should go back to the drawing table so that the involvement…

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has insisted that Western liberal democracy has not worked for Africa. Obasanjo said liberal democracy does not take into account the continent’s history, culture and tradition. The former President explained that the Western style of democracy failed in Africa because it does not consider the views of the majority of the people. He stated this while delivering his keynote address at a high-level consultation on ‘Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy for Africa’ in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital. Obasanjo, the convener of the gathering, described Western liberal democracy as “a government of a few people over…

The Ebonyi State Government will return all mission schools to their original owners by December, Governor Francis Nwifuru promised in Abakaliki on Sunday. Mr Nwifuru made the promise during a pastoral visit to him by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki, Peter Nworie, a most reverend. The governor acknowledged that the Catholic Church and others were tactical in improving the quality of education in the state. He directed the Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education, and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to begin the process of returning the schools to the missions. “We are badly challenged in the area…

An Israeli-owned cargo ship has reportedly been hijacked by an Iran-backed militia group. Up to 52 people are reported to have on board the Galaxy Leader vehicle carrier when she was seized. It comes after the Houthis – based in Yemen – vowed they would target all ships owned by Israel or flying their flag in the Red Sea. Israeli officials confirmed the rebels had taken over the ship that is partially owned by one of their companies, according to Axios. However, the IDF went on to deny the ship was Israeli. The exact ownership of ships is often difficult…

Emirates Airline has announced its readiness to commence direct flight to Nigeria in the near future. The ministry of Aviation and Aerospace, in a statement signed by the Head Press, Odutayo Oluseyi, at the weekend, in Abuja, stated that the Emirates Airline made the disclosure when the Minister, Mr. Festus Keyamo, attended the 2023 Dubai Airshow at the United Arab Emirates, UAE. The statement also revealed that the Emirate’s Government has granted approval to the Nigeria’s carrier, Air Peace Airline, to fly direct into and out of the prime airport in Dubai. Similarly, the Minister met with the management of…

The Police Service Commission (PSC), said 547,774 applications for recruitment into the constable cadre of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have so far been received in the Police Recruitment portal which closes next Sunday, November 26, 2023. The portal was opened on the 15th of October 2023, five weeks ago and will close after six weeks. Out of the 547,774 applicants, 358,900 were successful and have qualified for the next round of the recruitment process which includes the physical, credentials, medicals and strict background checks of the applicants. PSC spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, also said a total of 84,606 applicants were…

National Judicial Council (NJC) has debunked reports on social media that it received a nomination list for Supreme Court vacancies from the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC). A report emerged claiming that the FJSC released 22 names for NJC’s consideration to fill vacancies at the apex court bench. The nomination reportedly followed complaints in September that the Supreme Court was operating with only 10 out of its constitutional strength of 21 justices. Based on the depletion in the number of justices due to retirement and deaths, it was reported that the FJSC subsequently submitted a shortlist to address the vacant positions. But reacting on…

The Federal Government of Nigeria has engaged Elon Musk’s internet company, Starlink, to explore the possibility of establishing programs to create jobs in Nigeria through local maintenance and production of its hardware. The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who disclosed this on a Sunday, mentioned that the discussions had taken place on the sidelines of the International Telecommunication Union-World Radio Communication (ITU-WRC) Conference in Dubai. Tijani explained that he met with Ryan Goodnight, the Senior Director of Global Licensing and Activation at SpaceX. He mentioned that the discussion focused on how Starlink could establish a program…

A little over five months after leaving office, former President Muhammadu Buhari said he doesn’t miss being at the helm of the nation’s affairs. He disclosed this in an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). Buhari said his farewell as Nigerian president on May 29, 2023, handing over the reins to his fellow party man, President Bola Tinubu, who won the hotly-contested February 25 election. He left Eagles Square, the venue of the swearing-in ceremony, immediately after Tinubu took his oath of office and headed for his hometown in Daura, Katsina State. Since then, the former President has remained mostly silent,…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has celebrated former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, on his 66th birthday, for his unique demonstration of statesmanship and for his distinguishing achievement as a leader. In a statement on Sunday signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu said Jonathan gave Nigeria and Africa a pride of place in democratic lore by upending the vitiating paradigm of those who seek to hold onto power by all means. President Tinubu stated that he shares the joyous occasion with one of Nigeria’s icons of democracy, whose humility continues to inspire hope for good governance in…

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has nullified the election of Governor Caleb Muftwang of Plateau State. A three-member panel, in a unanimous decision on Sunday, held that Muftwang was not validly sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as provided by Section 285(2) of the Nigerian Constitution. The panel held that the appeal brought by Nentawe Goshwe of the All Progressives Congress (APC) succeeds as the issue of qualification was both a pre and post election matter under Section 177(c) of the Nigerian Constution, 1999 and Section 80 and 82 of the Electoral Act, 2022. The panel agreed…

Nigeria’s Super Eagles once again dropped points in their Group C 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after they forced Warriors of Zimbabwe to a 1-1 draw in Rwanda on Sunday. The encounter saw the Eagles come from a goal down to draw in the second game running following the 1-1 scoreline with Lesotho on matchday one. New invitee Nathan Tella made his debut for the Eagles as he was named in the starting 11 before going off before the start of the second half for goal scorer Kelechi Iheanacho. The next game in the qualifiers for the Eagles will be…