Author: Festus Adeloye

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated that it is incorrect for Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to label former military President Ibrahim Babangida as Tinubu’s tormentor. During the public presentation of Babangida’s autobiography, “A Journey in Service”, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja last week, Osinbajo who was the book reviewer, recalled how Tinubu, then a senator, resisted the dissolution of the senate by the military government, following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election. He jocularly said that Tinubu who was then tormented by the military including Babangida…

President Bola Tinubu on Monday felicitated with Dr Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication, on his 50th birthday. “President Tinubu lauds Bwala’s articulation of government policies to ensure the public understands the administration’s agenda,” Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s spokesman, said in a statement. The president also commended Bwala for leveraging his expertise as a lawyer, political analyst and public affairs commentator in performing his duties with clarity and insight. “On this milestone birthday, I join family, friends, and colleagues in celebrating Bwala, whose insights on government policies and programmes continue strengthening the administration’s outreach efforts”. “May the years…

 Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee, Taiwo Oyedele has urged state governments to target the wealthiest 10 per cent of the Nigerian population to widen their tax nets. He decried the focus by the state government on the poor majority for tax implementation instead of the high net-worth Nigerians. Speaking with reporters in Abuja at the weekend, Oyedele said: “Virtually, every state in Nigeria is chasing the bottom 90 percent to collect taxes. They are allowing the top 10 percent to have a field day.” He insisted that the issue of poor tax administration in the…

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda has finally agreed to step down from her position. A ranking lawmaker in the Assembly confirmed the development to TheScrutiny on Monday morning. According to him, Hon. Setonji David who represents Badagry Constituency 2 is expected to take over as the Speaker of the House. “It is true. She (Meranda) has agreed to step down. Setonji will be in charge for now” the lawmaker said in a terse text message to our correspondent. There has been mounting pressures on Meranda, who took over as Speaker following the removal of Mudashiru…

Osun state governor, Ademola Adeleke has directed the newly elected local government chairmen and councillors to stay away from their respective secretariats to prevent clashes with those allegedly occupying the offices illegally. Speaking on Sunday at the swearing-in ceremony held at Government House, Oke-Fia, Osogbo, Adeleke commended the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) for adhering to due process in conducting the elections. Addressing concerns over legal disputes surrounding the polls, the governor noted that while controversies existed, his administration was confident of acting within the rule of law and the constitution. He congratulated the newly elected local government officials…

Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, has said that the South-South remains the strongest region for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zonal congress in Nigeria. Wike made this statement on Friday at the South-South zonal congress in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, where a large number of delegates gathered to elect new leadership of the zonal working committee. The immediate past Rivers state governor emphasised that the Party’s constitution mandates zonal congresses to occur every four years. Consequently, the South-South zonal congress conducted in Cross River State on February 22, 2025, is definitive. Wike remarked on the…

Former Military President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) said he did not retire late General Sani Abacha for lack of courage but for his safety and that of those dear and close to him. He made this revelation in his book – “A Journey in Service” launched on Thursday in Abuja. Though Babangida claimed he uncovered plots by Abacha to violently overthrow his administration, he also acknowledged his opposition to the outcome of June 12 election and return to civil rule. He however left him in the military when he “stepped aside” on August 27, 1993, an action many people…

US President, Donald Trump has fired Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who has served the nation for over 40 years, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the highest-ranking officer in the Navy, from their positions.  This marks the first instance in which two members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been dismissed from their senior military roles simultaneously. As part of the transition, retired military officer Caine will return to active duty. However, before he can assume the role of the president’s chief military adviser and the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, he must…

The Defence Headquarters has said troops on internal security operations across the country have killed 82 terrorists and arrested 198 criminals within one week. In a statement released on Friday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen Markus Kangye, said the troops also rescued 93 kidnap victims in one week and recovered 86 high-calibre weapons and 2,040 weapons across the theatres of operation in the country. According to the DHQ spokesman, 41 terrorists, comprising 10 males, 12 females, and 19 children, surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North East. He said troops in the Niger Delta region…

The Federal Government has revealed plans to discontinue its visa-on-arrival policy, describing it as unsustainable and a potential security risk. The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Friday at the graduation ceremony of 100 officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service who underwent a five-day specialised training on the application of Advance Passenger Information/Passenger Name Record data in national security and law enforcement at the service headquarters, Abuja. Explaining the benefits of a data-driven visa system, Tunji-Ojo said, “We believe that it is better for us to make decisions based on objectivity rather than subjectivity. “Of course, that…