Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima has officially launched the National Economic Council’s (NEC) Ad Hoc Committee on National Electrification and the NEC Ad Hoc Committee on Polio Eradication. He stated during his Thursday inauguration at the Presidential Villa in Abuja that without resolving the power sector problem and guaranteeing that Nigerians have access to reasonably priced energy, including electricity, the country cannot hope for significant national economic progress. He called on the nation’s leaders to put aside their differences to address the issue in the electricity sector and take part in Nigeria’s rebirth as an industrialised nation. Referring to nations…

The Labour Party has taken legal action over the defection of six members of the House of Representatives from the party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). On Thursday, Akangbe Illiya, representing Jos South/Jos East in Plateau State, joined the APC, increasing the number of Labour Party lawmakers in the House who have defected. In a statement, Labour Party spokesman Obiorah Ifo condemned Illiya’s defection, calling it “quite unfortunate and condemnable.” While acknowledging that the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to freedom of association, the party emphasized that Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution clearly outlines the conditions under…

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has granted N500m bail to the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, in an alleged N80.2bn money-laundering suit. In a ruling on Friday, Justice Nwite said he was moved to grant the bail due to the show of understanding between senior counsels of the defence and prosecution teams. The court ordered the former governor to produce two sureties in like sum, who must own properties in Abuja and be verified by the registrar of the court. Additionally, the two sureties alongside Bello must deposit recent passport photographs to the…

The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Friday, pleaded not guilty to 19 charges of money laundering amounting to ₦80 billion, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). During the hearing at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, the prosecution, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kemi Pinheiro, informed the court of their decision to withdraw an earlier application for abridgement of the arraignment date, noting that the application had been overtaken by events. The defence, led by Joseph Daudu, SAN, did not oppose the withdrawal, and Justice Emeka Nwite granted the…

The Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has announced a Christmas Bonus of 150,000 for each civil servant in the state. The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Monday Uzor, made this known in a Facebook post on Thursday night. Uzor disclosed that the state workers would receive the bonus before 1 pm on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. “Every Worker in Ebonyi State service will receive ₦150,000 as a Christmas Bonus before 1 pm on Tuesday… Gov. Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru,” the post read. Recall that on October 27, the governor approved the payment of N75,000 minimum wage to civil…

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has cautioned against the violation of the Supreme Court verdict on local government autonomy, vowing to deal with the erring council officials. Fagbemi gave the warning on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at a conference for judiciary correspondents. The AGF said governance at the grassroots has “suffered a lot” in the past but believes that with the enforcement of the verdict on local government autonomy, “life will come back to the local governments”. “People at the grassroots have suffered long negligence and it is enough. The government…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made a proposal to scrap the requirement for Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) as the sole means of voter accreditation during elections in Nigeria, its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said on Thursday. According to him, the proposal is part of larger recommendations to be presented to the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters before the 2027 election. Yakubu who announced this during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), explained that with the introduction of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the use of PVCs as sole means of identification for voter accreditation on…

President Bola Tinubu will present the 2025 budget next Tuesday, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has disclosed. Akpabio made this known during the announcement at the Thursday plenary. He said, “The president has made his intention known to the National Assembly to present the 2025 budget to the joint Assembly of the National Assembly on the 17th of December, 2024.” Akpabio announced that the budget presentation will take place at the House of Representatives Chamber. He further informed the lawmakers that plenary will be at 10:30 am to allow senators meet in the Red Chamber before moving in procession to…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has vowed to continue demolishing properties illegally built on government lands. Reports said that the minister has been criticised for embarking on a widespread demolition of houses in Abuja without due diligence and proper investigation. A construction company, Paullosa Nigeria Limited, recently raised the alarm over a demolition notice issued by the Federal Capital Development Authority to demolish its estate in the Lifecamp area of Abuja. The General Manager of the Estate, Vincent Enoghase, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, claimed that the FCDA had demanded N10 million for…

Kemi Badenoch has defended her remarks about Nigeria following criticism from the country’s vice president, Kashim Shettima, who accused her of disrespecting her heritage. The Conservative Party leader, who was born in the UK and spent much of her youth in Nigeria, has often spoken about living with fear and instability in a country she describes as plagued by corruption. On Monday, Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima proposed that Badenoch might “remove the Kemi from her name” if she did not feel pride in her “nation of origin.” According to BBC on Wednesday, In response to Shettima’s suggestion that she should…