Author: Akintayo Adams

The arraignment of the immediate-past Governor of Kano State and now-suspended National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on bribery charges, suffered setback on Wednesday over the failure of the prosecution to serve the charges on him. The Kano State Government filed eight counts of bribery, involving $413,000 and N1.38bn, against Ganduje,  his wife, Hafsat, and son, Umar with Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd,  Safari Textiles Ltd and Lesage General Enterprises listed as defendants. The case was fixed for April 17, 2024, before Justice Usman Na’aba of the state High Court. However, only the 6th respondent, through…

The Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Liman, on Wednesday, issued a stern warning to Bello El-Rufai, the son of the immediate past governor of the state and a former minister of the FCT, Nasir El-Rufai, to desist from threatening and intimidating the House over the ongoing scrutiny of his father’s time in office. The Kaduna State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, kickstarted the probing of foreign and domestic loans and grants which it described as “controversial” secured by the government of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. However, Bello, who’s the member representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency, was reported to have…

The Federal Government has announced that the execution of the Gas Supply and Purchase Agreement to support the Final Investment Decision for the $3.8bn Brass methanol project has been fixed for May 2024. The Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, announced the execution date for the gas supply agreement in Abuja on Wednesday after a meeting with key stakeholders of the project. The Brass methanol project is a major industrial project located in Brass Island, Bayelsa. It is believed to have a capacity of producing 10,000 tonnes of methanol per day when completed. Methanol is an important industrial chemical,…

Yusuf Zailani, a former speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, has denied claims of approval of a $350m World Bank loan obtained by former Governor Nasir El-Rufai by the house under his leadership. The former speaker dismissed the claim on the floor of the House, and it was seen in a video posted on X on Wednesday, by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Strategic Communications to the Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mal. Suraj Bamalli. He said, “I have been waiting for this day, and the day is today. My fight was not to give…

The indoor sports hall of Kwara state stadium is set to undergo a huge renovation and upgrade, 47 years after it was constructed under the administration of the then Military Administrator, Brigadier-General Agbazika Innih (retd.) Revealing the development, the chairman of the state’s sports commission, Bola Magaji, said the renovation would set the state back N2.06bn. “Due to lack of maintenance, reptiles were even attacking some of our athletes. However, the sports hall will be much better than before when fully renovated. There will be many innovations; it will become a centre of tourism because local and international tournaments will…

Two officers of the Nigerian Army accused of stealing armoured cables at the Dangote refinery are currently in custody, according to an announcement by the Force. The soldiers had reportedly gained access to the facility on Sunday in an Acura jeep but were caught at the company’s main entrance on their way back with armoured cables that had been cut to size numbering 897. In a statement on the incident which he described the as “totally unacceptable and highly regrettable” on Wednesday, the Director Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed that the men have been detained. The statement…

A 17-man Inter-Ministerial Committee for the 2024 Democracy Day Celebration has been set-up by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Members of the committee have been mandated to come up with a memorable and befitting Democracy Day celebration. It is headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. This was contained in a statement, on Wednesday, by the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Segun Imohiosen, in which he said Akume noted the importance of the commemoration of Democracy Day. “I am delighted to welcome you to the inauguration…

The Federal Ministry of Education has been directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure the inclusion of graduates of the National Open University in the National Youth Service Corps scheme. The President also ordered the admittance of NOUN Law graduates to participate in Law School in the country. According to him, this was done to ensure for equal opportunities for all. He made the disclosure through the Deputy Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Biodun Saliu, at the 13th convocation ceremony of NOUN on Saturday, held at the University’s Convocation Arena, Jabi, Abuja. He said, “With the changing demographics of…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been granted permission by a Federal High Court in Abuja to arrest the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, preparatory to his arraignment Thursday. The warrant was granted by Justice Emeka Nwite Wednesday afternoon at the request of the anti-graft commission. This is sequel to a ruling restraining the EFCC from arresting, detaining or prosecuting the ex-governor by a Kogi State High Court. The suit numbered HCL/68/M/2020, stopped the EFCC from “arresting, detaining and prosecuting the applicant except as authorised by the court”. The judge, I. A Jamil, said the ruling…

A review of Nigerian banks loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) from 65 percent to 50 percent has been announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria to align with the current monetary tightening. The apex bank disclosed the reduction in a circular released and signed Wednesday by Adetona Adedeji, its acting director of the banking supervision department titled ‘Re: Regulatory Measures to Improve Lending to the Sector of the Nigerian Economy’. “Following a shift in the Bank’s policy stance towards a more contractionary approach, it is imperative to review the loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) policy to align with the current monetary tightening by the…