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Tuesday, 24 October 2017 05:13

Southern governors meet, advocate true federalism, devolution of power

Rising from a three-hour meeting held in Lagos Monday, governors of the 17 states of Southern Nigeria have asked the federal government to devolve powers to the states. The governors also reiterated their commitment to a united, indivisible Nigeria. In a joint communique read by host governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, the governors said they also remained committed to true federalism. The communiqué, however, did not state what they meant by true federalism. The governors said they would like to see an effective linkage of infrastructure in the Southern part of the country and pledged to work together…

Tuesday, 24 October 2017 05:12

Buhari receives report on Maina’s reinstatement

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff has received the report of how fugitive Abdulrasheed Maina was reinstated to the civil service. Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, confirmed that Head of Service, Zmrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, submitted the report to the president’s chief of staff, on Monday evening as directed. Adesina spoke on a live Channels Television news programme on Monday night. He had earlier in the day announced that Buhari ordered the sack of Mr. Maina and “demanded a full report of the circumstances of Maina’s recall and posting to the Ministry of Interior.”…

Tuesday, 24 October 2017 05:10

Dambazau lied, I played no role in Maina’s return - Head of Service

Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, has countered Minister of Interior, Mr Abdulrahman Dambazau, who on Sunday blamed her and Federal Civil Service Commission for the reinstatement of former Chairman of Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, to office. Mrs. Oyo-Ita said through a statement by her Assistant Director, Media Relations, Mr Mohammed Manga, “The attention of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation has been drawn to several media reports that the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has approved the reinstatement into the Federal Civil…

Tuesday, 24 October 2017 05:08

How Malami, Dambazau plotted Maina’s reinstatement

Following Monday’s directive by President Muhammadu Buhari ordering immediate dismissal of former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, from federal civil service, fresh facts have come to light showing the involvement of Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, and his counterpart in Ministry of Interior, Mr Abdulrahman Dambazau, in the embattled director’s promotion and reinstatement in the civil service. Maina, who had been at large since 2013 when he was declared wanted by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over his suspected involvement in a N2 billion pension…

Tuesday, 24 October 2017 04:58

Why Zimbabwe has a 'Minister of WhatsApp'

A spoof government notice hit social media as soon as President Robert Mugabe announced he had set up a new ministry responsible for Cyber Security, Threat Detection and Mitigation. Zimbabweans reacted with customary humour to the letter, which faked the signature and letterhead of the new appointed cyber minister - Patrick Chinamasa - and instructed all WhatsApp group members to register with the ministry by November. The letter was signed "By The Cyber Powers Vested In Me". But the jokes have since subsided, and Zimbabweans are now considering what the new ministry will mean for their civil liberties - especially…

Monday, 23 October 2017 14:01

Buhari orders Maina’s sack

PRESS RELEASE President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the immediate disengagement from service of Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms. In a memo to Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the President equally demanded a full report of the circumstances of Maina's recall and posting to the Ministry of Interior. The report is to be submitted to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Abba Kyari, before the end of work today, Monday, October 23, 2017. FEMI ADESINASpecial Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), October 23, 2017

Monday, 23 October 2017 03:37

Buhari returns after 4-day visit to Turkey

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday returned to Abuja after a four-day working visit to Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey. The President’s official aircraft which took off from Ataturk airport, Istanbul at about 12 p.m (Turkish time) local time, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 4.05p.m. Mr Buhari, accompanied by his wife, Aisha, was received at the airport by senior government officials, including his Chief of Staff, Mr Abba Kyari, Inspector-General of Police, Mr Idris Ibrahim, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Mohammad Bello and other presidential aides. While in Ankara, Buhari was hosted by Turkish President,…

Monday, 23 October 2017 03:31

17 Southern governors meet today in Lagos

The 17 governors from the South-west, South-east and South-south are to meet in Lagos today (Monday) to discuss latest national issues and forge stronger partnership. The meeting is coming after 12 years of a similar gathering. A statement by Secretary to Lagos State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, said the meeting would be co-hosted by the Governors of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and Akwa Ibom, Mr Emmanuel Udom. Bello said the meeting is in line with the realisation that the different states in the South have since 2005 developed several areas of comparative advantage which could be harnessed and become…

Monday, 23 October 2017 03:29

Why we reinstated fugitive ex-pension chief Maina – FG

Minister of Interior, Mr Abdulrahman Dambazau, a retired Lt. General, has reacted to to the story on how the federal government reinstated a sacked civil servant despite a pending corruption trial. Chairman of defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, was secretly recalled to the service and promoted to head a directorate in the Interior ministry. Maina was in 2013 declared wanted by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. “Dark complexioned Maina is allegedly complicit in the over N 2 billion Pensions Biometric Scam in the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. He…

Monday, 23 October 2017 03:26

Akwa Ibom gov speaks on closure of N41bn hospital

Akwa Ibom Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has revealed how bad the situation was at the Ibom Specialist Hospital before the multi-billion naira state-owned facility in Uyo was eventually shut down. The hospital, built at the cost of N41 billion and inaugurated just two years ago by the previous administration of Godswill Akpabio, was shut down in September after the private managers, Cardiocare Medical Services Ltd, terminated their contract with the state government and withdrew from the facility. The company was said to have had a disagreement with the state government over the funding of the hospital. Emmanuel, just like the…

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Monday, 23 October 2017 03:19

Mugabe removed as WHO goodwill envoy after outrage

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been removed as a goodwill ambassador, the World Health Organization said on Sunday, following outrage among Western donors and rights groups at his appointment. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus named Mugabe to the largely ceremonial post at a meeting on Wednesday in Uruguay on chronic diseases attended by both men. At the time, Tedros praised Zimbabwe as "a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide healthcare to all". But Tedros said in a statement that he had listened to those expressing concerns and heard the…

Sunday, 22 October 2017 03:22

Nigeria-Pakistan Joint Commission to be revamped - Buhari

PRESS RELEASE President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday in Istanbul said Nigeria-Pakistan Joint Commission will be revamped as a veritable platform to strengthen economic and trade relations between both countries. Mr Buhari gave the assurance at a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khakan Abbasi, on the margins of the ninth D-8 summit in Istanbul, Turkey. Buhari, who expressed satisfaction at the level of defence and military cooperation between both countries, however agreed with Mr Abbasi that there was still room to do more. He regretted that same could not be said on the economic and trade fronts, which he said…

Sunday, 22 October 2017 03:15

US military on high alert, as a possible miscalculation with North Korea could lead to war

Rising tensions between North Korea and the United States have sparked fresh concerns inside and outside the Pentagon that a potential miscalculation — driven by heated rhetoric or technical mistakes — could lead to an accidental conflict on the Korean Peninsula. The danger of an inadvertent clash is exacerbated by two impulsive nuclear-armed leaders, who have publicly traded threats, and a volatile mismatch between the United States’ overwhelming military superiority and an isolated regime in Pyongyang. The recent war of words appears to be shortening the fuse, with U.S. forces in the area put on heightened alert. After a North…

Saturday, 21 October 2017 04:59

Buhari offers to host D8 Ministers in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Istanbul, Turkey pledged Nigeria’s preparedness to host the meeting of D8 Ministers of Industry between November 14 and 17, this year in Abuja. The President’s spokesperson, Mr Garba Shehu, in a statement, said Buhari also reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to international trade and development and urged D-8 leaders to prioritise incentives and measures aimed at increasing trade and investments among member countries. Shehu said Buhari who made the appeal at the ninth summit of the D-8, observed that the private sector and business communities in the economic organisation must be assisted with incentives to widen economic…

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