Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, Sen Dino Melaye, has said Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike is suffering from post-election trauma. Both have engaged in a face-off since Melaye showed an interest in becoming the PDP gubernatorial candidate, and Wike kicked against it. Rivers governor, during a media chat in Port Harcourt on April 11, had said the former Kogi senator did not possess the qualities required to become the governor. The former federal lawmaker, while reacting said Wike’s rift with him to was hinged on his failure to secure the party’s presidential ticket…

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja after eight-day official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he also performed the Umrah (Lesser Hajj). Buhari departed Saudi Arabia via King Abdulaziz International Airport Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday. The Saudi Government officials, traditional and spiritual leaders from Nigeria as well as some senior staff of the Nigerian Embassy in the Kingdom, were at the airport to bid farewell to the President. The president had successfully performed Umrah rituals, amid tight security, upon his arrival at the Grand Mosque in Makkah from Madinah on Thursday morning. Buhari, along side members of his…

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has denied signing a new law approving jumbo pay and other allowances as pensions for ex-governors of the state. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday in Asaba, the state capital, the Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, said the pension law for ex-governors has been in place in the state since 2005. He pointed out that the only time the House effected minor changes in the law was in 2019 when the State House of Assembly amended the law to include the late Prince Sam Obi who was acting Governor between Nov. 10, 2010, and Jan. 10,…

The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said that Mr. Julius Abure, the embattled national chairman of the party remains his own man amid the leadership crisis rocking the party. Obi spoke on Tuesday at the LP National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Asaba, Delta State. The post-election crisis in the LP took another dimension a few days ago after the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, sealed its secretariat. Recall that a Federal High Court, in Abuja, had ordered Abure to stay away from parading himself as the national chairman of the LP a week after a ward in…

Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu has warned that his administration would seal any bank that continues to withhold the State’s funds. The State government advised banks that have continued to place Post No Debit, PND, on Abia State accounts to immediately resume financial transactions with the State or have their branches sealed in the State. In a statement signed by Barr Chris Ezem, the Secretary to the State government, Governor Ikpeazu said an Abuja High Court which earlier froze Abia State accounts, had also vacated the same order. It added that banks have no reason to disobey the Abuja High…

The Federal Government says it will increase excise tax on tobacco products from 30 per cent ad-valorem to 50 per cent as part of measures to control tobacco smoking in the country. Dr Mangai Malau, Head, Tobacco Control Unit, non-communicable Disease Division, Federal Ministry of Health, disclosed this on Tuesday, at the National Tobacco Control Budget Advocates Meeting in Abuja. Malau presented a paper titled “Overview of Tobacco Control Funding/Budgeting in Nigeria: Why Tobacco Control Budgeting and Funding?” He said that presently, the Federal Government imposed a 30 per cent tax on tobacco products but its target was to increase…

Chelsea’s hopes of salvaging success from a season of abject mediocrity were ended ruthlessly by Real Madrid as the holders advanced into the Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were always battling against the odds to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg in the Bernabeu and their cause was not helped by a familiar failing as a battling performance was undermined by missing a succession of clear chances. N’Golo Kante missed a glorious first-half opening while Marc Cucurella was blocked by former Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois when he looked certain to reduce Real’s advantage. The Spanish…

AC Milan reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 2007 as they saw off Serie A rivals Napoli in an incident-packed game. Milan could face Inter Milan in the last four, with their city rivals going into Wednesday’s second leg with Benfica holding a 2-0 lead. Serie A champions-elect Napoli dominated early on – but Milan won a penalty with one of their first attacks, although Olivier Giroud’s spot-kick was saved by Alex Meret. The veteran Frenchman got the opening goal, though, when he tapped in following a sensational 70-yard run by Rafael…

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has congratulated Governor Ahmadu Fintiri on his emergence as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Fintiri as the winner of the Adamawa governorship election. The Returning Officer, Muhammed Melee, declared Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner after polling 430,861 votes to defeat his major counterpart, Aisha Dalhiru Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 398,788. The INEC reopened the collation centre for the supplementary election results on Tuesday after the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari, declared Binani the winner of the election, which led…

The Lagos State Parks and Garages Management Committee led by Musiliu Akinsanya popularly known as MC Oluomo has been sacked by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN). The court in a ruling on Tuesday by Justice Maureen Esowe held that the setting up of a parks and management committee by the Lagos State government is illegal. The court in its ruling also barred the state government from further interfering in the operations of the union’s exco. It also ordered the reinstatement of the operations of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Lagos State. According to Justice Esowe, the state government and the…

The Federal Government is set to pay state governments the backlog of stamp duties being owed them. Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State stated this in a letter made available to the Ogun State House of Assembly. Abiodun is seeking the lawmakers’ approval for and payment of the consultancy fee, which will be deducted at source. In the letter read at plenary on Tuesday by the Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, Abiodun disclosed that “the 36 States of the Federation filed a case in the Supreme Court seeking amongst other reliefs, the refund of all monies collected as stamp duties to State…

Nigerian music superstar, Peter Okoye of the Psquare group has arrived the city of Naples in Italy ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Napoli and AC Milan. The singer will be watching live from the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona in a show of support for his friend, Victor Osimhen, who is billed to make a return from injury against the Milan side. Mr. P, as he is fondly called, announced his presence in the city via his Twitter account on Tuesday. “Reporting LIVE from Napoli to support my G @victorosimhen9 #NapoliVsAcMilan 🤞🏾👌🏾,” Okoye wrote on his Twitter handle,…