“LGA bosses who misuse Council funds risk jail term” – Justice Minister, Fagbemi

Aminu Imam
Justice Minister, Fagbemi

Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, says chairpersons who tamper with the local government councils’ (LGAs) funds would be prosecuted. Fagbemi stated this in Abuja on Thursday, at the 2024 annual conference of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents, while delivering a paper titled: ‘Aftermath of supreme court judgment on local government financial Autonomy: What next?’ The AGF said the Supreme Court judgment on LGA autonomy was meant to equip the councils to carry out their responsibilities effectively. He said any debt incurred by the…

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“All Govs. now in support of State Police”  – NEC

Aminu Imam
NEC on State Police

Gov. Uba Sani, of Kaduna State, has said 36 States of the federation had endorsed the creation of state police, following the submission of their reports to the National Economic Council, (NEC). The Governor made the disclosure while briefing State House correspondents at the end of 147th NEC meeting, chaired by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday, in Abuja. Sani stated that many States were in agreement with plans to establish state police in view of the fact that virtually every state had security challenges. According to him, there are a…

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Electoral Reforms: INEC to phase-out PVCs, plans Diaspora voting

Aminu Imam
INEC to phase out

The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC,) says it would soon present to the joint committees of the 10th Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters eight items of electoral reforms for consideration. Chairperson of the commission, Mahmood Yakubu, who disclosed this on Thursday, during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of the Commission in Abuja, said the eight items are part of the 142 identified recommendations from the report of the 2023 general elections. He said 86 of the 142 recommendations require administrative action by INEC, which prompted…

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FG plans mass purchase of essential drugs for Nigerians

Aminu Imam
FG plans drugs purchase

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, says the Federal Government is in the process of pool-procuring essential medicines to ensure quality, availability, and affordability of drugs in public facilities. Pate, who said this on Thursday in Abuja at an event held in commemoration of the Universal Health Coverage Day, with the theme: ‘Health on the house of government’,  noted that the three-year ‘Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value-Chain’ was unveiled a year ago to save lives, reduce physical and financial pain, and produce health…

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Petrol landing cost drops to 900/litre, but retail prices remain high

Aminu Imam
Petrol landing cost drops

The cost of landing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly referred to as petrol, has decreased by ₦36, now standing at ₦900.28 per litre, as of Thursday. This represents a 3.62% drop from the previous week’s figure of ₦936.75 per litre, according to data released by the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, (MOMAN). Earlier this week, the landing cost had dipped to ₦890.43 per litre, marking a continuing trend in declining import costs. Fresh reports also indicate that oil marketers imported a total of 90,308 metric tonnes of fuel between…

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Proposed Nigeria Coast Guard: Expert warns of risks ahead

Aminu Imam
Expert warns on Coast Guard

A maritime safety expert has cautioned against the proposed Nigeria Coast Guard Bill currently before the 10th National Assembly, warning of potential conflicts and overlap of functions with existing agencies. An expert in maritime safety, who did not want his name in print, has warned of the dire consequences should the  National Assembly pass the Nigeria Coast Guard Bill into law. Recall that the Bill, which is currently before the National Assembly,  seeks to establish a military service, which is a branch of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, to ensure…

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A’Court vacates order stopping allocations to Rivers State

Aminu Imam
A' Court vacates order

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Monday, vacated the judgement that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), from releasing monthly statutory allocations to Rivers State. A 3-member panel of Justices of the appellate court, in a split decision of two-to-one, held that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the lawsuit that led to the restraining order. It held that the fact that federal agencies were joined as parties in the matter was not sufficient to confer the court with unfettered jurisdiction…

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“Don’t downgrade, scrap States’ Information Ministries” –  Minister Idris appeals to Govs. 

Aminu Imam
Minister Idris appeals

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has appealed to some state governments considering the dissolution or downgrading of their Ministries of Information to reconsider the decision. The Minister, who made this appeal in Kaduna yesterday, stressed that the ministries are not just administrative bodies but key drivers of public engagement, national orientation, and societal cohesion. The Minister, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant (Media), Rabiu Ibrahim, spoke at the 48th National Council of Information and National Orientation, with the theme: “Enhancing Public Information Management for Inclusive…

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2027: “No vacancy in Aso Rock until 2031” – SGF 

Aminu Imam
Aso Presidential Villa

Less than two years into President Bola Tinubu’s first-term in office, Secretary to Government of the Federation, (SGF), Senator George Akume has declared that those nursing presidential ambition, particularly from the North, should shelve such aspiration, saying there is no vacancy in Aso Rock until 2031. Senator Akume, who stated this during a television programme, said a fresh mandate for the incumbent President Tinubu was a done deal. He advised former Vice-President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the last general elections, Atiku Abubakar not to seek the…

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Babalola: Court grants Dele Farotimi bail

Aminu Imam
Dele Farotimi bail

…Case adjourned Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has been granted bail by the Ekiti State High Court. The court granted Farotimi bail in the sum of N50 million, with a surety of the same amount. The court ruled that the surety must possess a landed property and adjourned the matter to January 29, 2025, for further proceedings. Farotimi was taken to court by Chief Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, after being arrested by operatives of the Ekiti State Police Command.Babalola, 95, accused Farotimi of defaming him in a…

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