Author: TheScrutinyNG

Dave Umahi, the Minister of Works, has explained that the Federal Government terminated Julius Berger contract to construct the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road because the construction giant failed to keep to agreement terms, noting further that the country would save N640 billion by terminating the contract. Umahi disclosed this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee to defend the government’s decision. Recall that in November 2024, Umahi announced the termination of Julius Berger’s contract to construct the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road over failure to meet up with contractual conditions. In a follow-up development, the Nigerian Senate had issued an arrest…

At least three people have been killed and 48 others injured, six critically, following a bomb attack at a festival in Thailand’s northern Tak province. The explosion occurred late Friday night at the Red Cross Doi Loyfa Fair in Umphang district, a popular annual event attended by thousands. Authorities say the device was thrown into a crowd near an outdoor stage where festival goers were dancing. Two suspects are in custody, though no charges have been filed yet, according to Thai police and local media reports. Early investigations suggest the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED). Prime…

A tanker laden with premium motor spirit exploded in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State on Saturday, as the development sent shivers down the spines of the residents. This is as no casualty was recorded as at the time of this report, even as residents have continued to monitor the situation in fear. It was gathered that the incident occurred around noon when the tanker which was heading toward Kwara State suddenly exploded. Men of the Fire Service were on ground to put out the fire. The incident caused heavy gridlock along the road as commuters were forced to…

The Federal Government has expressed commitment to producing a critical ingredient called pharmaceutical-grade starch locally for solid medicine production. This was disclosed by Professor Martins Emeje, the director general of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), during a virtual stakeholders’ meeting which the agency hosted on Saturday, where the don emphasised the necessity of the Cassava Value Addition Initiative (CVAI) in this regard. The meeting served as a platform to involve key players in cassava cultivation, processing, and utilization, emphasizing the project’s national importance. The DG sad the Cassava Value Addition Initiative (CVAI) aims to curtail foreign exchange losses,…

Alhaji Dalhatu Bafarawa, the former governor of Sokoto State, has said division along religious lines was used to divide the people of northern Nigeria to prevent the region from realising its full economic and socio-cultural potential. Different parts of Northern Nigeria have over the year grappled with one form of insecurity or another. For instance, the North East has been suffering from Boko Haram insurgency for over a decade, the North Central battles farmers-herders conflict while the North West is encountering banditry and terrorism. Farmers across conflict-ridden areas in the North can barely go to farms now, thereby posing threats…

Hon. Yakubu Dogara, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has challenged those opposing the Federal Government’s Tax Reform Bill to come up with any better alternative if they even have such. This is as he also advanced reasons he is supporting the bills,, saying he was not supporting them because they were perfect but because it was the right thing to do. He, however, conceded the fact that those opposed to it have the right to do so, saying, “But I do not share their jaundiced nay tenuous and puerile position that because they disagree with some aspects…

Abbas Tajudeen, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, has assured Nigerians that all Bills Introduced and passed in the lower chamber of the National Assembly are meant for their benefits. This is as he assured that the 10th House of Representatives under his leadership is focused on driving economic growth, enhancing national security, improving healthcare access, reforming education, and advancing good governance. Abbas who spoke at a capacity building training for journalists on Saturday, noted that each bill introduced was carefully developed to ensure that it delivers tangible benefits to Nigerians and aligns with national development goals. He said…

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, is hale and hearty, not dead, his Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, has said. Oyekanmi in a statement on Saturday, also urged members of the public to disregard the ‘fake’ news circulated by a section of the social media, claiming the purported death of Yakubu in a London hospital. According to him, the INEC chairman is alive, hale and hearty and has not travelled to London in the last two years. “Our attention has been drawn to a fake news narrative circulated by a section of the social media…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has warned deposit money banks that it would impose a fine of N150 million per branch of any bank which engages or facilitates illegal flow of mint naira notes to currency hawkers of dubious agents. The apex bank disclosed this in a circular issued on Friday, December 13, 2024, signed by the Acting Director of the Currency Operations Department, Mohammed Olayemi. The circular revealed that the CBN is concerned about the increasing prevalence of mint naira notes being traded by hawkers, a practice the bank described as impeding efficient and effective cash distribution to…

Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has made dislodging the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State one of the party’s main targets in the 2027 general elections. Ganduje stated this while inaugurating the newly elected executive committee of the party in the state, led by Chief Tony Okocha in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Saturday. He said though the South-South geo-political zone is largely controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party, the APC is making inroads in the zone, with Cross River and Edo states already taken by the ruling party. While congratulating the…