Author: TheScrutinyNG

By Chief James Ibori The Supreme Court has dealt a severe setback on the principle of federalism as defined by section 162(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The section expressly provides thus: “Any amount standing to the credit of the Federation Account shall be distributed among the Federal and State Governments and the Local Government Councils in each State on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly”. Sections 6 provide further clarity on the subject matter. (6) Each State shall maintain a special account to be called “State Joint Local Government Account”…

It is a tale of woes as an acute scarcity of one of Nigerians’ most popular staple foods, bread, has hit Kaduna, Katsina, and Kano States. Checks by the News Agency of Nigeria correspondents revealed that the most-favoured staple was now as scarce as petrol or the highly-prized precious metal, Gold. It was observed that whereas the commodity was very hard to come by, its prices have hit the roof. Many of the residents could no longer afford the staple and, as such had turned to other not-too-cheap alternatives like noodles, millet porridge, and bean cake, as well as bread…

The House of Representatives has queried the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, for spending unrelated expenditures, including N45 million for a new year party, N20 million for sanitary pads. Others include N1.5 million for vehicle fuel. Rep Kafilat Ogbara, Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, led the interrogation of the Minister, over the non-payment of N1.5 billion to contractors in spite of the fund release in Abuja. She said that the investigative hearing was aimed at uncovering the truth and not witch-hunting the Minister and the officials of the ministry. The committee also investigated the alleged diversion of…

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said it would sanction airlines engaged in deceitful departure time scheduling. The Acting Director-General, NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo made the assertion in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs/Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, on Tuesday. The NCAA warned the airlines to desist from the infraction or face dire regulatory actions. “The NCAA now runs a zero-tolerance approach to regulatory infractions. “Ease of doing business is the crux of the D-G’s action plan for the NCAA. In line with that action plan, he has made processes for licensing easy for operators. “The time…

The Federal Government, on Monday, announced a 150-day duty-free import window for food commodities as it stepped up efforts to tackle rising inflation which had impoverished many Nigerians. The government also expressed its decision to collaborate with states to expand land cultivation across the country. Consequently, the government suspended duties, tariffs and taxes for the importation of certain food commodities through land and sea borders. Among other things, the latest directive is expected to reduce demand for forex by food importers. In 2023, Nigerians spent $2.13bn to import food items from foreign countries. The quarterly statistics of the Central Bank…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited says fuel stations are to operate longer hours for the supply and distribution of petrol, calling on fuel stations to aid availability given the current tight situation. The company said the turnaround period of Premium Motor Spirit trucking is also elongated to ease the situation being witnessed. The Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC Ltd, Dapo Segun, said this on Monday in Abuja during a joint inspection of stations by the firm and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority officials. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NNPC and the NMDPRA embarked…

. . . Donates N10 million to Nursing College in Kogi The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has explained that his unwavering commitment to building a better nation through investing in the critical areas of human and national development; health and education, is ultimately for the good of the nation and the future of society. Obi made the remarks yesterday, when he paid a visit to Grimard College of Nursing Sciences, Anyigba, Kogi State, where he donated N10 million to the College for the training of nurses, who he said, are at the centre of primary…

By Abdulqadir Abdulkabir I have just read an article by one Kayode Thomas, who identified himself as a journalist, but, by the content of his writing, has no credentials to lay claim to being a journalist. His hack writing explains the attacks that journalism and journalists unfairly get from people who feel maligned and mistake his likes as the archetypes of what journalism is. A simple rule in journalism is that one should check again in the event of any doubt. He failed the simple test all through the gibberish. That is by the way. Given the pattern of its…

By Olukayode Thomas Though strange I will not be surprised if the governor of my dear state, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq attends late Chief (Mrs) Florence Morenike Saraki’s burial on July 19 despite not visiting condolences to the family since her death on June 18. Governor Abdulrasaq has avoided the Saraki’s home, since the death of their matriarch despite the deep relationship between the two families. His decision is considered weird in many circles but not to those of us who know that the abnormal is the norm with His Excellency. ‘Your Governor is weird’ a friend said to me a…

A former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Takai Shamang has been abducted in his hometown, Biniki, in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna state. Shamang, 78, was also a former President General of the National Union of Electricity and Gas Workers, now National Union of Electricity Employees between 1982 and 1989. Confirming the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), his daughter, Mrs Grace Abbin, said her 78-year-old father was abducted at his residence in Biniki, at about 8:00pm on Friday. Shamang is the President and Founder of Gantys Aid for Widows, Orphans and Needy Foundation,…