Rowland Nike

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media, Garba Shehu has said President Buhari will not force government officials to declare their assets publicly. Shehu made the remark in an interview with the Punch. He noted that it was not a requirement of the law that officials declare their assets publicly. The Presidential media aide maintained that the decision of public office holders to make public their assets declaration is a personal affair. According to Garba, “The requirement of the law, as far as assets declaration is concerned, is that officials fill out the forms and submit to the Code of Conduct Bureau before they take office and when they leave. “It is not a requirement of the law that presidents, governors or any such officials should make their (asset) declarations public. “It then comes down to choice. If they chose to publish it as the President and the Vice President did, it will be considered as purely a personal choice. “Sin

The immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan, has said all through his tenure as President, no Nigerian became a political prisoner or a prisoner of conscience due to their criticisms of his administration. The former President made the assertion while delivering a keynote speech at the annual Merit Awards Dinner of the Nigerian Lawyers Association of the United States of America, USA. Jonathan’s assertion is coming at the heel of calls by a cross section of Nigerians that leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB,  Nnamdi Kanu and other pro – Biafra agitators currently in detention   across the country be released. He urged leaders to ensure unity and harmony in Nigeria by guarding their language and conduct. According to Jonathan, diversity could remain a “strength only when all interest groups in the society feel safe and secured, in their day to day activities.” “That is why no matter what any critic said about me, I ensured that there was both freedom o

The Leader of vigilantes in Yobe State, Hon Awana Talala has confirmed that a fierce battle has erupted between the Nigerian military and Boko Haram sect in Damboa local government, near the Yobe border. Earlier report said about 20 people have been killed in the ensued battle but there was no confirmation as to whether the casualty is on the side of the military or the Boko Haram insurgents. In his statement, however, the leader of the vigilante group said that the outlawed sect suffered defeat during the battle. He denied report that some Nigerian soldiers and members of vigilante were been killed in an ambush. The Nigerian military is yet to confirm the incident in Damboa, but locals who spoke to some of their relatives in Damaturu said villagers have started fleeing the area as at today, Sunday due to heavy gun battle experience in the area.

A member, Board of Trustees, Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being   the brain behind the controversial emergence of business mogul, Jimoh Ibrahim, as the candidate of the opposition party in the forthcoming Ondo State governorship election. Babatope claimed that Buhari had manipulated the political events in Ondo State in order to favour Ibrahim and set the state on the path of dictatorship. He called on Nigerians to resist what he described as President Buhari’s ploy to destroy democracy in the country. Speaking with Punch, Babatope said the declaration of Ibrahim as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Ondo State was championed by Buhari and the All Progressives Congress to rig the governorship election. The former minister of transport warned that the future of the nation’s democracy was fraught with danger with the way the Buhari administration was going about governance. Specifically, Babatope mai

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, yesterday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to increase workers’ current minimum wage without further delay. He said the demand by the organized labour was in view of the economic recession, noting that N18, 000 was not an amount that any worker can survive on. Wabba said increment was the strategy the United States used to address recession. He argued that the economy cannot return to its former state unless the citizens have purchasing power. “The state of the country’s economy requires that we increase minimum wage. We need to empower the people to buy and sell. If the economy is at standstill and people cannot buy, the economy will not grow. “It is the workers’ money that keeps the economy growing. It is not the fund disbursed for big contracts that are kept in different accounts that keeps the country economy growing. “That was the logic that helped the United States to revive their economy,” he a

The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has revealed that the federal government has, aside cash, recovered landed properties, high valued automobiles and jewelries from looters, pointing out that most of the monies recovered from treasury looters could not be used because they are bug down with litigations. Adeosun spoke yesterday at the National Assembly during an interactive meeting on the performance of the 2016 Budget with the Senate Committee on Appropriation. She explained that some of the buildings recovered had been converted into office spaces for government agencies that had no permanent offices, while the high valued cars could be used for the conveyance of foreign dignitaries on a visit to the country. The minister further let the Senate Committee in on the obstacles being experienced by the Nigerian government on the recovery of stashed loots in Switzerland and United States. “The process of recovering looted fund is an ongoing process. Indeed, money c

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, says it has uncovered plot to kill Southern Muslims and Christians residing in the Northern part of the country, stressing that the planned killing will displace many people. In a statement signed by its Media Forum President, Ibrahim Musa, the movement also alleged that security agencies have concluded plans to disrupt its annual “Arbaeen trek.” IMN said those who are against its annual ritual plans will attack its members under various guises during the trek, adding that some of its members have been marked for assassination. This is coming at a time when, the Kaduna State Government had  officially released the Gazette on IMN, declaring the movement as an unlawful society.  The statement reads, “It has come to our notice that security agents have perfected plans to cause mayhem during our annual symbolic Arbaeen trek, commemorating a similar trek the Umayyad ruler Yazid subjected family members of Prophet Muhammad (AS) to, from

The All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN Campaign team has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris and other security operatives to provide security for Ondo state ahead of the November 26, governorship poll. Akeredolu, who spoke through one of his media aides, Mr. Kunlle Adebayo, lamented that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has allowed its internal crisis to lead to violence in the state. He accused Governor Olusegun Mimiko of making threat statement following the non-inclusion of his anointed candidate in the final list of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, released on Thursday. Akeredolu called on all stakeholders in the state including: Kabiyesis, religious leaders, the media, labour leaders, artisans, Okada riders, the youths and other group leadership to actively intervene by helping to secure peace and calm in the state. The statement reads, “The Akeredolu Campaign platform

The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Jimoh Ibrahim, has accused Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko of sponsoring Friday’s violent protest in Akure, the Ondo Capital. In a statement made available to DAILY POST Friday night, Ibrahim said his attention had been drawn to the ongoing burning of tyres, orchestrated by Mimiko. It reads further “In 2009 Governor Mimiko forged security reports of the DSS and the Police to deceive the court and tribunal of Justice Nabaruma that there were security issues in the state, leading to cancellation of results in 8 out of 18 Local Governments of the State. “This is how Governor Mimiko schemed himself into power and became the Governor of Ondo State, but when the late President Umaru Musa Yar’dua realized that the forgery story was true, Mimiko was already enjoying constitutional protection as Governor. “Mimiko called on the drivers’ union

The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Abba Kyari, has denied speculations that he was suspended by his principal. Kyari spoke yesterday with State House correspondents. He said he was only on vacation and had resumed. “Are you going to tweet that I am back?”, he asked while coming out from the president’s office. On social media reports that he was suspended, he asked: “Can’t I go on leave?” Asked to speak on camera, he said: “I don’t talk to the press. You know my job doesn’t allow me to talk.” Buhari was said to have ordered the p robe of Kyari for allegedly receiving N500m from MTN to facilitate a reduction of a fine handed the telecommunication firm by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Northern socio-cultural and political groups have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to mend walls with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. The groups warned that   the cold war between the duo was capable of destroying the ruling party. There were strong indications that Tinubu and former vice president Atiku Abubakar are planning to float a new party. olitical analysts have also linked the recent disagreement between Tinubu and the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, to the purported crisis between the former Governor of Lagos State and the President. The Chairman, Coalition of Political Parties in Kaduna State, Muhammadu Sani-Ahmed, blamed those he described as the “kitchen cabinet” of the President for the seeming feud between Buhari and Tinubu. “On the pages of newspapers, the two leaders have consistently denied any feud; but somebody close to them has told me there is a crisis between them,” he said. Sani

The Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative has revealed that the nation lost  about $9bn to the violent activities of the Boko Haram insurgents  in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. According to the committee, a strategic framework would soon be set up by President Muhammadu Buhari in line with his determination to rebuild the North-East. The Vice-Chairman of the PCNI, Alhaji Tijani Tumsah, said this on Thursday in Abuja, while briefing newsmen on the outcome of its inaugural meeting. According to him, the focus of the meeting was to discuss the mandate given to the PCNI to fashion out a way that would be most direct, in terms of the delivery of that mandate, analyse the enormity of the task and fulfil the presidential mandate to give succour to the people of the North-East. Tumsah said, “We are not investigating anybody; there are people who are investigating such diversions. I’m glad you mentioned the Senate, the House of Representatives, police and the EFCC.

Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, yesterday exploded in anger in reaction to the threat of reprisal attack by the Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), an umbrella body of herdsmen who alleged that some of their cattle were killed recently. While reacting to the governor’s inauguration of the Ekiti Grazing Law Enforcement , EGEM, recently, Miyetti AllaMarshalsh, had said in a statement on Saturday that the Federal Government must intervene in the inauguration of the marshals, which the herdsmen alleged had shot five of their cows, warning that: “before this incident develops into unquenchable inferno involving our members and Ekiti State government.” In the statement signed by its spokesman, Baba Othman Ngelzarma, the group said: “Fayose unleashed the marshals against our members whose herds of cattle had gone to a stream at Agon bridge on Federal Polytechnic Road between the time of 2:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to quench their thirst on Friday, O

The acting National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Timi Frank on Tuesday warned that unless President Muhammadu Buhari takes urgent action, the ruling party would collapse by January 2017. He gave this warning in Abuja while appraising recent developments in the party, revealing that several realignments were presently going on in the country which could make the APC cease to exist totally by 2019. “You are aware that there are several realignments going on now in the country and my party has only now and January 2017 to put its house in order. “If we don’t harmonize all the contending interests, some of us would be exploring new avenues to pursue our various political agenda,” he said. Frank said the only way to rescue the party  would be for the president to intervene and support calls for the resignation of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun  as the national chairman of the APC. He reminded the President of how Chief Odigie-Oyegun as cha

The Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali, says the service would auction seized vehicles belonging to the Imo Government. The vehicles were brought into Nigeria without payment of customs duty. Ali made the disclosure during an oversight visit by the Senate Committee on Customs on Tuesday in Abuja. According to him, many cars on Nigerian roads use fake customs papers, adding that most of the cars were smuggled. “We (customs) are giving Nigerians with fake customs papers grace to pay their duty or risk confiscation of their vehicles. “I am waiting for the President, Muhammed Buhari, to give me the permission to ban importation of cars through land borders to curb smuggling”, he said. Meanwhile, names of the twenty-nine senior officers dismissed last week by the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, for various acts of gross misconduct have surfaced. The  affected officers were among the 44 senior officers who were punished fo r  actions capable of

As part of efforts to totally stop cattle grazing in Abuja metropolis and major entrance and exit highways into the city centre, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has met with members of the Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, FCT Chapter. The group had at the weekend  warned Ekiti State Government   over killing of cows it said were deliberately targeted by the ‘anti-malu’ marshals inaugurated by Governor Ayo Fayose last Thursday. During the meeting in his office today, the Minister reiterated that herdsmen must move their cattle out of the Federal Capital City because such animals cannot co-habit with the residents. Malam Bello emphasized that for safety reasons, cattle should not roam on the streets and highways in the city. His words: “You have to understand that when Abuja Environmental Protection Board says cattle should not roam the city, it is not because they want to prevent cattle breeders from raring cattle in the FCT. Basical