Author: Amina Mohammed

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…

The deaths of 1,300 pilgrims during the hajj in Saudi Arabia last year underscored the urgent need to mitigate dangers posed by extreme heat, with crowd management an essential first step, analysts say. Temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) in the holy city of Mecca last June as 1.8 million worshippers took part in the annual rites, one of the five pillars of Islam. Saudi officials said 83 per cent of the 1,301 recorded fatalities did not have official hajj permits and were therefore unable to access amenities meant to make the hajj more bearable, including air-conditioned…

The United States Supreme Court on Thursday denied a last-minute bid by President-elect Donald Trump to halt sentencing in his hush money case. The top court, which includes three justices appointed by Trump, rejected his emergency application seeking to block Friday’s sentencing by a 5-4 vote. The court, in a brief unsigned order, said the “burden that sentencing will impose on the President-Elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial” and noted that Trump will be allowed to attend virtually. The court also noted that the judge who presided over the hush money case has already said he plans to impose a sentence…

Funeral of former President Jimmy Carter on Thursday was marked by heartfelt tributes from leaders, family, and close associates, ABC News reports. President Joe Biden highlighted Carter’s unwavering commitment to dignity, justice, and integrity in his eulogy, emphasising lessons of character and respect. “We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor and to stand up to — [what] my dad said, the greatest sin of all — the abuse of power,” Biden said, as all of the former presidents looked on. “It’s not about being perfect, none of us are perfect. We’re all fallible.” “Jimmy Carter, throughout his…

The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka has denied reports that she physically assaulted a a man by slapping him for recording her on phone. In a widely circulated video by Sahara Reporters, the Commissioner was seen asking a man recording her with his phone to leave the premises but the unidentified man responded that no one will leave the venue. The commissioner who got up from her seat later approached the man and said ‘Maa fo phone owo e’ (I will smash the phone he is recording with’). An unidentified man was heard shouting ‘How…

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has dismissed insinuations suggesting that Northern governors are fighting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because of the tax reforms he is initiating. Governor Sule stated this when he hosted a coalition of denominations under the umbrella of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on a thank-you visit at the Government House on Tuesday. The Governor dismissed claims suggesting that Northern governors are fighting the President over his tax reforms. According to him, it is only in a country like Nigeria where you see people who fought against the coming of President Tinubu are now claiming…

The National Assembly has raised concerns over the significant imbalance between recurrent and capital expenditure in the 2024 budget, highlighting the insufficient release of funds for capital projects in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). This was made known during a joint session involving the chairpersons of the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations and the Presidential Economic Team. The lawmakers revealed that the 2024 budget has achieved only 43% performance overall, with recurrent expenditure at 100% and capital expenditure at a mere 25%. According to a statement released on Wednesday, Senator Solomon Adeola and Honourable Abubakar Birchi, chairpersons of the Senate…