Author: TheScrutinyNG

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to disclose the names of the companies and contractors who collected over N167 billion from 31 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) without executing any projects. SERAP is specifically asking President Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, to identify the contractors and also recover the stolen funds. The civil society organisation is further seeking details of the projects for which the contractors received N167 billion, including the proposed locations, the number…

US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday named Lebanese-American businessman, Massad Boulos, as his senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. “I am proud to announce that Massad Boulos will serve as Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs,” Trump posted on Truth Social of the appointment, which puts his daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law in a major White House position. Boulos was a key emissary for the Trump campaign, helping to mobilize Arab American and Muslim voters, many of whom were angry over President Joe Biden’s steadfast support for Israel in the Gaza war even as the…

President Bola Tinubu will leave France on Monday for Cape Town, South Africa, to co-chair the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) alongside President Cyril Ramaphosa. The presidential BNC, scheduled for Tuesday, December 3, will be preceded by a ministerial meeting on December 2, 2024, at the South African Parliament Building in Cape Town. Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Sunday said Tinubu and Ramaphosa would engage in substantive talks on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including bilateral, regional and international matters. “Building on the commitments from their June 20, 2024, meeting…

The Abia State Government has disputed the claim by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that it is among the 14 states yet to implement the new N70,000 minimum wage. The NLC had threatened to begin a strike on Monday over the non-compliance of affected states with the implementation of the new minimum wage. At a joint press conference with the state leadership of the Organised Labour at the Government House in Umuahia on Sunday, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, Chief of Staff to the Governor, clarified that Abia State began implementing the new minimum wage in October. He expressed surprise at the…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has introduced evidence of registration with a trade group as a new requirement for capital market operators seeking to renew annual registration at the Commission. The new requirement is contained in a statement signed by SEC Director of Registration, Exchanges and Market Infrastructure Department (REMI), Hafsat Rufai, on behalf of the Commission’s Director General at the weekend. “This is to inform all Capital Market Operators (CMOs) that the annual renewal of registration of CMOs for the year 2025 will commence on January 01, 2025. All CMOs applying for renewal of Registration are required to…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a plan to launch a newly redesigned website (www.cbn.gov.ng), which will be operational from Monday, December 2, 2024. In a statement issued on Sunday by the CBN spokesperson, Hakama Ali, she said the apex bank has developed a contemporary Web API that operates on Microsoft.NET Core 8, which is the most recent and stable release, to enhance user experience by speeding up and simplifying the navigation process. “We are pleased to announce that the front-end design and back-end technology were created in-house,” she noted. Mrs Ali said the redesigned website introduces a…

The inspector-general of police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered immediate investigation into the unfortunate boat incident that occurred in Kogi State, where many lives were lost on Friday. The IGP stated this while commiserating on behalf of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) with the government and people of Kogi State, particularly the families affected by the boat tragedy. The boat mishap, which occurred along the Dambo-Ebuchi waterways of the River Niger in Kupa local government area of Kogi State, involved over 160 passengers, with 24 rescued and others still unaccounted for. Force PRO, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said in response to…

Retired General Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State, has disclosed the crucial role he played in preventing the late General Sani Abacha from executing former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the 1995 phantom coup plot. Speaking at the Interdenominational Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival organised by the Plateau State Government, Gowon recounted his intervention to save Obasanjo’s life. Revealing the extraordinary measures he took, Gowon said, “I wrote a letter to Abacha. I pleaded with him that God made him a leader to do good and not evil. I had to send my wife with a letter to General Sani…

US President-elect, Donald Trump, aims to make loyalist Kash Patel the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), he said on Saturday, in a move that would mean replacing the agency’s current leader. Trump announced the former advisor and Pentagon official, who has been critical of the bureau and is known for his controversial views on a so-called government “deep state,” as his choice for the post on his Truth Social network. The FBI’s current director, Christopher Wray, was appointed to a 10-year term in 2017, meaning he would either need to step down or be fired. “Kash…

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has distanced itself from a purported Biafra declaration in Finland, describing it as a scam orchestrated by an infamous and unknown group, those Declaring such are among those causing insecurity in the South East. In a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB emphasised that there is no room for another Biafra declaration beyond the one made by its eternal leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, in 1967. The statement read: “IPOB wishes to commend responsible media organizations and social media bloggers in Nigeria and the diaspora who refrained from giving attention…