Author: Drum Africa Correspondent
Donald Trump’s government is set to recognise only two genders, male and female, the move will come as part of a swathe of executive orders the incoming president will sign on his first day back in the White House. It is one of two branded as “common sense” orders and will end all federal funding or recognition of gender identities. Mr Trump confirmed the move in his inaugural speech, saying: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.” The definition of male and female…
Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, completing perhaps the most remarkable political comeback in American history. The Republican, the first convicted felon ever to become commander-in-chief, announced a range of policies in his inaugural address – some of them bound to cause controversy. Proclaiming that a “golden age begins right now”, Mr Trump said he would rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and take back the Panama Canal. “I’m going to put America first… The scales of justice will be rebalanced,” he added. “From this moment on, America’s decline…
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Princess Zahrah Audu as the new Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council in a move aimed at attracting foreign investments and improving Nigeria’s business climate. This was disclosed in a memo signed by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume and made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday. Before her appointment, Audu, an entrepreneur and technology expert, was the technical adviser to the President on Foreign Direct Investment. She replaced Jumoke Oduwole, who has been named Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment in a recent cabinet reshuffle. The statement partly…
The General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, participated in a special programme held ahead of the inauguration of President Donald Trump in the United States. The event, known as the Inauguration Praise and Prayer Convocation, took place at the Greater New Hope Baptist Church and was organised by Jim Garlow’s Well Versed World ministry alongside Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. The gathering brought together faith leaders and believers to pray for the nation and its incoming administration. During the programme, Kumuyi delivered a prayer challenge to the American church and its leaders, urging them…
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of one Lukumanu Sani Waziri, an accountant at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, for corruption and abuse of office. Waziri was found guilty of diverting public funds amounting to over Sixty-million naira through unauthorized access to the Government Integrated Financial Information System (GIFMIS). ICPC had in 2021, in a charge number: FHC/ICPC/122021 arraigned Waziri and two others before Honourable Justice M. Abdulgafar of the Federal High Court, Sokoto Division in a nine-count charge of fraud and corruption. In the course of the trial, ICPC’s…
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has downplayed the possibility of resolving his conflict with Governor Fubara of Rivers State. Wike criticised Fubara and his camp for refusing to carry out the directive issued by President Bola Tinubu during the peace meeting he convened. He noted that Fubara and his supporters should have returned to Tinubu to explain their inability to implement all the directives issued by the president. Wike made this disclosure during a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday. Wike and Fubara have been at loggerheads since Fubara became governor. The face-off between the two…
US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday announced he will sign an executive order to delay the ban on TikTok when he assume office on Monday, and will propose to acquire 50 per cent stake in the Chinese application. “I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. So that we can make a deal,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding that his order will delay the ban on the video-sharing app. He said his order would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect” and “confirm that there…
The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party took a new twist on Saturday when the 29-man caretaker committee set up by Abia State Governor, Alex Otti and LP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, warned Julius Abure to stop parading himself as the party’s national chairman. In a statement issued in Abuja, the committee headed by Senator Nenadi Usman, announced that they were still in charge of LP affairs by virtue of the mandate given to them by stakeholders of the party at an emergency convention. The new development comes barely 24 hours after Abure’s chairmanship was affirmed…
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to stop conducting by-elections. According to Falana, by-elections lead to wasteful spending of unnecessary funds. In a statement, Falana said since the votes scored during elections belong to political parties, the replacement of elected candidates as a result of death or resignation should not call for a by-election. He said, “The political parties that sponsored the candidates that die or resign should be directed to fill the vacancy by nominating another candidate.
The Presidency has denied reports that it “forced” former President Muhammadu Buhari to testify in an arbitration proceeding in Paris. Although it did not deny the existence of such a proceeding, the Presidency insisted that all eminent persons testifying in Nigeria’s defence “are doing so willingly.” Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated this in a press statement signed and released late on Saturday, titled ‘President Tinubu Did Not Drag Any Eminent Nigerian to Paris.’ On Saturday evening, an online news platform reported that former President Buhari had been summoned before a court in Paris to testify in…