Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja is dead. Lagbaja died at the age of 56. He is the second army chief to have died in office after Lt. Gen. Attahiru, who died in a plane crash in Kaduna. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, said the COAS passed away on Tuesday night in Lagos after a period of illness. “Born on February 28, 1968, Lt. General Lagbaja was appointed Chief of Army Staff on June 19, 2023,…

The federal high Court in Abuja has stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN from further releasing monthly financial allocations to Rivers state government. The court held that the receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January this year by governor Siminalayi Fubara is a Constitutional sommersault and aberration that must not be allowed to continue. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik who issued the order on Wednesday held that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Fubara before a 4-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to the Constitutional provision. Specifically,…

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Major General Olufemi Oluyede as the Acting Chief of Army Staff. This was announced in a statement released on Wednesday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga. Onanuga explained that Oluyede would assume the role pending the return of Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who is currently abroad for medical treatment. The statement read, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS). “Oluyede will act in the position pending the return…

The Presidency has shed more lights on the circumstances surrounding the replacement of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Beta Edu by President Bola Tinubu in the last cabinet reshuffle exercise. Bayo Onanuga, the President’s spokesman alluded that it could probably be based on findings by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Edu who celebrated her 37th birthday on Sunday, was suspended in January 2024 over the alleged diversion of more than N585 million in public funds into a personal bank account. She was also implicated…

The President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday restricted Ministers, Ministers of State, and Heads of Agencies of the Federal Government to a maximum of three vehicles in their official convoys. In a statement he signed on Thursday, President Tinubu said: “No additional vehicles will be assigned to them for movement”. Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, who released the statement, said: “The cost-cutting measure was announced today in a statement signed by the President”. In January 2024, President Tinubu issued a directive, which…

Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the man who conducted the historic June 12,1993 Presidential election is dead. The 83 year old renowned professor of political science was former Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), the electoral umpire that oversaw Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s failed trasition programme from 1989 to 1993. He died in a hospital in the United States, according to a reliable source who confirmed the news on Thursday evening. An official statement regarding his death is expected to be released soon. Born on October 2, 1941, Nwosu was appointed NEC…

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party will win the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State. Makinde’s remarks came against the backdrop of the statement credited to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, that South West states would soon be taken over by the APC, after winning the Ondo election. In the same vein, the state governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, on Wednesday, claimed that the PDP was dead in the state. Makinde, speaking in Ikare Akoko, the headquarters of Akoko…

Former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South Leader, Chief Edwin Clark has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu for scrapping the Ministry of Niger Delta Affaiirs, saying the people of the region will not allow that. Reacting to the scrapping of the Niger Delta Affairs yesterday in Abuja, the Elder statesman who noted that there was no basis for the scrapping of the Ministry, accused the Federal government of plans to use the money from the South-South geo-political zones to develop the various development Commissions from the geo-political zones…

_Corruption is the enemy of development, and of good governance. It must be got rid off. Both the government and the people at large must come together to achieve this national objective._ *_Pratibha Patil_* . The discourse on corruption in Nigeria remains an endless talk-shop simply because both leadership and followers are deeply enmeshed in the scourge. Nigeria’s corruption has become a virus that is ravaging the entire landscape to the extent that it would take God’s intervention to recover the country from its stranglehold. The author quoted above, would…

The President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet reshuffle crystalised with the remival of six ministets and the injection of seven fresh hands into the administration. In a cabinet reshuffle announced on Wednesday, the President also named seven ministerial nominees, who are to be confirmed by the Senate. Among them is the Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, widow of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who died on 26 November 2011, aged 78. He led the armed struggle between 1967 and 1970 to have an independent state of Biafra. Ministers who were relieved of their appointments…

The President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sacked six Ministers from his cabinet and also forwarded to the National Assembly seven ministerial nominees to take over from the vacant positions. The Ministers that were relieved from the cabinet were Prof. Tahir Mamman, (Education), Uju Kennedy Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Mohammed Gwarzo (State for Housing), Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development), Lola Ade-John (Tourism) and the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, who has been replaced. The President also forwarded seven new ministerial nominees to the National Assembly including wife of late Dim…

The late Herbert’s cousin, Christian Chukwuka Wigwe, who had filed a caveat on behalf of Pastor Shyngle Wigwe, the deceased’s father, to challenge the distribution of his Estate as outlined in his Will, has been officially warned about his involvement in the Estate by a Lagos State High Court. This is a twist to the ongoing story surrounding the estate of the late banker cum billionaire, Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe, as court documents have also reportedly disclosed a startling development. Specifically, the High Court Probate Registry has issued a legal notice…

The Rotary Club of Ojodu witnessed an event of grandeur and significance on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at Ostra Hall, Ikeja, as Rotarian Barrister Ikpunuekhai Osi-Evans (PHF) was installed as the 20th President of the Club. The ceremony was an exceptional display of Rotary’s rich tradition of service, leadership, and community commitment. The event, which was chaired by Otunba (Engr.) Olagunju Kayode, Chairman and Managing Director of Batok Group of Companies, was graced by an impressive array of dignitaries. Key guests included the Chairman of Ojodu Local Government Council, Hon.…

Thr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has announced the scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development. The move is seen as part of government’s effort to reduce yhe cost of governance and increase effectiveness. After scraping the Niger Delta ministry, the president approved that the establishment of the ministry of regional development to takeover the former ministry’s role and other regional commissions established by the Federal Government. For the Sports Development ministry, he ordered that the role be transferred to the National Sports Commission, which…

The Nigerian Army high command on Sunday says its Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, is alive and on rest as part of his annual leave. The Army was reacting to several online reports originating from a social media post by a Nigerian journalist announcing the death of the Army chief which went viral on Sunday. The journalist claimed that Lagbaja had died of cancer 48 hours ago. The post read, “The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, has died. Lagbaja died in an undisclosed hospital overseas…

The Defence Headquarters has dispelled reports that it appointed a senior officer as the acting Chief of Army Staff. The COAS, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, who has been on leave and out of the country since September, fueled speculations about his health. On Sunday, there were viral reports about his death, which were dismissed by the Army Headquarters. Amid the rumours of his death, another report emerged, claiming the DHQ had appointed an acting Chief of Army Staff. Refuting the report in a statement on Monday, the Director of Defence…

A mass burial has been conducted for 140 victims of the petrol tanker explosion that took place at Majiya town, Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State on Wednesday. About 90 other victims of the ugly incident are currently in various hospitals in the state receiving treatment. The explosion occurred around midnight on Tuesday when the driver of the tanker, travelling from Kano to Nguru in Yobe State, lost control near Khadija University, Majiya. The disaster, according to the police, was triggered by residents who had rushed to scoop spilt…

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced that his government plans to pay workers a minimum wage of N85,000. Sanwo-Olu disclosed this on Wednesday evening during an interview on Channels TV themed “One-On-One with Babajide Sanwo-Olu.” “You mentioned minimum wage and what I need to throw in for my people. I’m glad to let you know that the minimum wage for Lagos, which we’ve discussed with our union, is N85,000 today. “It’s not a competition, so I’m not going to say that we’re paying more than some other people; it’s…

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has said that the increase in Nigeria’s revenue recorded in the 2024 fiscal year is being strategically allocated to various social intervention programmes aimed at improving the living standards of citizens and addressing pressing societal needs. The minister said the social investment programme is targeted to impact 60 per cent of the poorest, reaching 20 million persons. He also revealed a comprehensive proposed agenda for economic reform, which aims to reduce inflation, create jobs, and stimulate growth in…

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says reports suggesting that the Department of State Services (DSS) has taken over the national assembly premises to stop an alleged impeachment plot against him are false. The reports said the secret police had taken over all entrances to the assembly complex on Wednesday. Speaking on the floor of the senate, Akpabio dismissed the reports as “fake news”. The senate president jocularly said those behind the reports may be seeking revenue from the traffic they could get on their websites. “[They said DSS] has surrounded the…

The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has slammed Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, for demanding the redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Ondo, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola. Makinde made the call during the flag-off of the Peoples Democratic Party’s campaign in Akure on Tuesday, ahead of the 16th November governorship election. He urged the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, to transfer Babalola, a move echoed by the PDP candidate, Agboola Ajayi, who cited her Ondo State origin as a cause for…

The Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum says the internal crisis rocking the PDP has been resolved. The Forum’s Chairman and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, made this known in an interview with newsmen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, after the Forum’s meeting on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Mohammed said the party’s stakeholders had agreed that all the suspensions within the National Working Committee (NWC) be set aside and the status quo maintained. He said the forum, alongside the National Assembly caucus and the party’s Board of Trustees…