Author: Amina Mohammed

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed all nominees for the governing boards of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) and the North West Development Commission (NWDC). The confirmation, which included 34 nominees, took place during resumption of plenary presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Mark Okoye was confirmed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SEDC, while Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji was confirmed for the same role in the NWDC. The confirmations followed the submission of a report by the Ad-Hoc Committee on Regional Development Commissions, led by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia-North). The report indicated…

US President Joe Biden announced Monday that two of the Navy’s future aircraft carriers will be named for former commanders-in-chief Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. “The future USS William J. Clinton (CVN 82) and the future USS George W. Bush (CVN 83) will begin construction in the years ahead,” Biden said in a statement issued just a week before he is replaced in office by Donald Trump. “When complete, they will join the most capable, flexible, and professional Navy that has ever put to sea,” Biden said. The United States has a long tradition of naming some of its…

A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly who represents Epe Constituency 1, Abiodun Tobun, says members of the parliament in the state sacked Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker on Monday to uphold the “sanctity” and “integrity” of the House. Tobun told reporters that the decision to impeach Obasa was unanimously agreed by lawmakers in the 40-member Assembly. He said, “The Constitution makes it clear that the House has the powers to regulate its proceedings. So, the members of the House felt that they’ve had enough of the Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa and today, we have unanimously agreed that Rt…

President John Mahama of Ghana has reduced the number of ministries in the country from 30 to 23 as part of efforts to cut government spending. This decision, issued via an executive order, was documented in a gazette dated January 9, just two days after Mahama’s inauguration. Under the new arrangement, several ministries established during the tenure of Nana Akufo-Addo, the former president, have been dissolved. These include the ministries of information, sanitation and water resources, national security, railway development, parliamentary affairs, public enterprises, and chieftaincy and religious affairs. To streamline governance, Mahama has retained essential ministries such as finance,…

The federal government has banned Nigerian military personnel  from engaging in homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, cross-dressing, and other activities considered against the ethics of the armed forces. Additionally, service members are prohibited from body piercing, tattooing, disorderly conduct, drunkenness on or off duty, and amorous relationships with subordinates or their spouses. These directives are outlined in Section 26 of the revised Harmonised Armed Forces Terms and Conditions of Service, approved by President Bola Tinubu on December 16, 2024. A portion of the document states, “An officer must not engage in homosexuality, lesbianism, or bestiality. He/she is also prohibited from participating in…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Senator John Azuta-Mbata on his election as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. Azuta-Mbata, a former senator, represented Rivers East in the Senate from 1999 to 2007. He was elected as President of the preeminent Pan-Igbo socio-cultural group at its meeting in Enugu on Friday. President Tinubu also congratulated the group on the successful leadership transition and enjoined the new leaders to uphold the principles of their predecessors. A statement issued by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, explained that “the President recognises the critical role of socio-cultural organisations in nation-building; hence, his commitment to promoting…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that his outspoken nature on national and international issues led to his imprisonment under the military regime of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, in 1995. Obasanjo also shared that his decision to seek the presidency in 1999 was driven by the need to save Nigeria from disintegration. He admitted that he had embraced farming after retiring from military service at the age of 42 in 1979. It is worth recalling that the former president served as Nigeria’s military head of state from 1976 to 1979. In a statement released on Friday…

Senator John Azuta-Mbata has been elected as the 13th President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, a prominent Igbo socio-cultural organisation. This development occurred during the election of new executives in Enugu on Friday, where Azuta-Mbata was elected as the new leader, succeeding Fidelis Chukwu, whose tenure has ended. Notably, Azuta-Mbata hails from Rivers State in South-south Nigeria, marking a significant milestone in the organisation’s history. The election process was conducted via voice voting, and alongside Azuta-Mbata, 15 other individuals were elected to various executive positions within the organisation. As a former senator, Azuta-Mbata brings a wealth of experience to his new…

The Nigerian government has received $52.88m recovered Galactica assets, linked to a former Minister of Petroleum Diezani Alison-Madueke from the USA. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi disclosed this at the formal signing ceremony of the asset agreement between Nigeria and the United States of America in Abuja on Friday. Delivering his remarks Fagbemi explained that $50m of the recovered assets will be deployed through the World Bank for the rural electrification project and the remaining $2m will be deployed to the International Institute of Justice to expand the Justice system and also counter corruption.…

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have nabbed one Sylvester Victor Augustus allegedly behind the recent fake recruitment notice of the agency. The 32-year-old suspect was arrested for allegedly cloning the Service’s website in which a notice was placed to falsely inform Nigerians the agency was recruiting. Augustus, a native of Abak Local Government Area in Akwa-Ibom State, was tracked and arrested by DSS operatives on Thursday at his residence on Akpan Eno Lane in Abak, Abak LGA. He claimed to be a graduate of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) , a blogger and content creator. “Augustus had…