Author: Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Rail Project: Minister expresses diapointement over slow progress on Port Harcourt-Maiduguri narrow gauge

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Minister of Transportation, Senator Sa’idu Alkali, on Friday said he was disappointed by the slow progress of work on the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri narrow gauge railway project. Alkali expressed his disappointment after he and some top officials of the Ministry of Transportation inspected the project at Oyibbo Community in Rivers State on Friday, a statement from the ministry said. The minister said he was disappointed with the slow progress of work on the project and the performance of the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). He said he was concerned…

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Zamfara Students abduction: Gov. Lawal calls emergency security meeting

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara has  summoned an emergency Security Council meeting, following the recent abduction of an unspecified number of female students of the Federal University, Gusau. The governor’s Media Aide, Suleiman Idris, disclosed this in a statement issued in Gusau and made available to newsmen on Friday. Idris stated that the meeting was necessitated by the abduction of the students from their off-campus residence in Sabo Gida Village, Bungudu Local Government Area of the state. He said that the essence of the meeting was to ensure the immediate…

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Adjusted Fuel Pumps: NMDRRA to sanction erring stations

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says it will sanction fuel stations operators who alter petroleum pumps. Mr Farouk Ahmed, NMDPRA Chief Executive, said this during an interactive session with commissioners of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) on Friday in Abuja. Ahmed said that petrol stations caught dispensing fuel with adjusted fuel pumps would face heavy sanction. He said that the sanctions to be meted out include revocation of operating licenses, suspension from operation or shut down depending on the gravity of the offence.…

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VP Shettima assures of fraternal bewteen executive, legislature

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir
Shettima, CoS and NAS leadership

Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured Nigerians of continued fraternal bond between the executive and the legislative arms of government. Shettima gave the assurance when he declared open a two-day retreat for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly (NASS) in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom on Friday. The Vice President said that President Bola Tinubu remains committed to safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy. Shettima also assured the leadership of the National Assembly of Tinubu’s avowed commitment to entrenching democratic ideals and values through collaborative partnership with all arms of government. He said…

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SAFETY: NIMASA aides LAWMA with 1,800 protective kits

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has donated 1800 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to street sweepers of the Lagos Waste Management Authority in Lagos. This is contained in a statement issued by Mrs Folashade Kadiri, Director, Public Affairs, LAWMA, and made available to newsmen on Friday in Lagos. Kadiri said that the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, appreciated the gesture, describing it as the beginning of a robust partnership between both agencies. He said that the kits comprised 600 reflective jackets, 600 face masks and 600…

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Peacekeeping: Somali demands UN delay drawdown of troops

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir
FARMAJO, HASSAN SHEIK OF SOMALIA

Somalia has asked the United Nations to pause a planned drawdown of 3,000 African Union (AU) peacekeepers for three months to allow its security forces time to regroup after a militant attack forced them to withdraw from several recently captured towns. The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which is mandated by the UN Security Council, took over from another AU mission in April last year. A Somali government letter shows the national security adviser wrote to the United Nations requesting a 90-day delay in the second phase of…

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Unsustainable Debt: CSO to engage NASS on Fiscal Responsibility Act passage

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

A group of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) say it will engage the 10th National Assembly (NASS) to see to the passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) as a strong measure to bring sanity to the fiscal space. Mrs Regina Udo, the Project Manager, Growth Initiatives for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT), said this in a statement in Abuja on Friday She decried Nigeria’s public debt profile of N87 trillion, describing it as unsustainable and a clarion call to reform the public finance management system. She called on the Federal and State…

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Ali-Kila bows out as Jigawa Head of Sevice

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Jigawa State Head of the Civil Service (HoS), Alhaji Hussaini Ali-Kila, has retired from service after attaining the mandatory retirement years in service. This is contained in a statement by Alhaji Ismail Ibrahim, Public Relations Officer (PRO), Office of the HoS in Dutse, on Friday. Ibrahim said Ali-Kila rose to the top of the Civil Service in 1988 as an Education Officer in the old Kano state. He added that the career progression of the retired HoS spanned virtually all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government. “This offered him…

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Hajj 2024; The New Dimensions

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

By; Fatima Sanda Usara. To start with, Saudi Arabia has made its stand clear to which there seems no retraction; any party that delays Hajj remittances for any reason, may have to wait for another year to perform Hajj. Be it the delay were from pilgrims, their officials, the State Governors or even from NAHCON, that will be end of story if it exceeds Saudi’s visa processing deadline. Hence, the Visa e-track portal, that is, the Saudi e-track portal, will be locked by 29th April, beyond NAHCON’s reach. No room…

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Tinubu woos investors at Nigeria-U.S business roundtable

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

President Bola Tinubu has assured prospective investors of his administration’s determination to adopt necessary fiscal and regulatory measures toward the ease of doing business in Nigeria. At the Nigeria-U.S. Executive Business Roundtable, the President said he recognised that investment capital is cowardly in nature. He said that was the reason behind his bringing successful Nigerian industrialists and public officials to share their experiences and operational plans, respectively. Tinubu said this was in addition to all he had done to boost the confidence of the global investment community in Nigeria, by…

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