Author: Amina Mohammed

Chinese leader,  Xi Jinping has said his nation is “not afraid,” in his first public comment on the escalating trade war with the United States that has tanked international markets and fueled fears of a global recession. “There are no winners in a trade war, and going against the world will only lead to self-isolation,” Xi told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing on Friday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. “For over 70 years, China’s development has relied on self-reliance and hard work — never on handouts from others, and it is not afraid of any unjust suppression,” Xi…

Rising from a meeting in the early hours of yesterday, governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and leaders of thought within the party resolved not to abandon the party for any coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Former vice president Atiku Abubakar and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate,  had recently hinted that the party was going into a coalition with other opposition leaders to chase the All Progressives Congress (APC) out of power in 2027. But the party leaders and the governors who met on Wednesday night through Thursday morning in Abuja, believe that rather than…

Staffers of the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been thrown into a state of mourning on Thursday following the news of the murder of its Director of Administration, Dr. Abdulraif Adekunle Adeniji, by suspected kidnappers who abducted him since January 26 this year. The kidnappers went ahead to murder Adeniji after collecting the sum of about N90 million ransom. The late Adeniji was abducted alongside his brother and his wife who was immediately shot dead due to her inability to keep pace with them while on their way to an unknown destination. APc’s Deputy Director of…

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has called for greater collaboration among Election Management Bodies in West Africa to strengthen democratic governance in the region. Yakubu spoke at the opening of the Extraordinary General Assembly of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions in Banjul, Gambia, according to a post via the commission’s X on Thursday. According to the commission, Yakubu emphasised the importance of cooperation and shared learning among member countries to tackle common challenges and build institutional capacity. A key highlight of the meeting was the review and expected adoption of revised…

The federal government has tendered an apology for the errors in the list of appointments released after accusations of President Bola Tinubu’s alleged unbalanced appointments. The controversy began after Tinubu was accused by the opposition of favouring Nigerians from his tribe and women over those from other ethnic groups. APC lawmaker representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, while appearing on Arise Television, alleged that the president violated the federal character principle in his appointments. In response to the accusation, a list of President Tinubu’s appointees and their geo-political zones was released showing 29 people from the South West, his home region,…

Nigerian music artiste, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has been summoned by a United States federal court to appear in New York within 21 days to respond to allegations of intellectual property theft and breach of settlement, following a lawsuit filed by four Nigerian artists. According to court documents filed at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the plaintiffs, Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru, accused Davido of stealing their 2022 song titled ‘Work’ and using it to create his 2024 track ‘Strawberry on Ice’. The…

Legendary singer 2Baba’s lover Natasha Osawaru turned a plenary session into a controversial moment when she identified herself as a member of the artiste’s family. The Edo lawmaker, who has been in the news for her romantic tie to one of the country’s foremost celebrities, did not mince words when she introduced herself as a member of the Idibia family. During plenary at the Edo State House of Assembly, Osawaru was asked to identify herself and she responded by saying, “My name is Honorable Natasha Irobosa Osawaru, nee Idibia.” Her response elicited varying responses on X, where a video of…

The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s appointment record, stating that a breakdown of recent appointments showed a fair distribution across Nigeria’s regions, with the North receiving slightly more slots than the South. According to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, President Tinubu has so far appointed 71 individuals from the North and 63 from the South into key federal positions. Dare made this known via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, amid ongoing debate over perceived regional imbalance in federal appointments. He argued that the President remained committed to equity,…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified why it designated one of its National Commisssioners, Sam Olumekun as the Acting Chairman of the electoral commission. Rumours were rife on Tuesday that the Commission’s national chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has been sacked by President Bola Tinubu, a claim that has been debunked by the presidency. In a statement on its social media handles on Wednesday, INEC had posted that Olumekun, the acting chairman received a high-level delegation of Labour party, led by Abia state governor, Dr. Alex Otti. “A high-level delegation of the Labour Party (LP), led by Abia State…

Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok Ibas (rtd) has approved the appointments of administrators for the 23 local government areas in the state. The development was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Ibibia Worika. Ibas also approved the reconstitution of some of the suspended boards of agencies, commissions and parastatals. The statement said the appointments would take effect on April 7th. The statement said: “His Excellency  The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, has approved the appointments of Administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers…