Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The Federal Government has ordered the removal of speed bumps on highways across Nigeria, citing the need to improve traffic flow and enhance road safety. Minister of Works, David Umahi, made the announcement during a two-day retreat in Abuja. According to Umahi, many speed bumps on federal highways are poorly designed, causing accidents, damaging vehicles, and unnecessarily prolonging travel times. He shared a personal experience of a frustrating trip along a federal route littered with speed bumps, which turned a one-hour journey into a three-hour ordeal. Umahi emphasised that while speed bumps are necessary in certain locations, many on Nigerian…

Senator representing Borno South, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has said recommendations of Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) on tax reform bills is a welcome development but not enough as there are still sections of the bills that require further clarification. The bills, currently before the National Assembly, have suffered heavy criticisms especially in northern Nigeria, with many describing the pieces of legislation as anti-north agenda of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration. Ndume, who has been critical of some of the policies of the present government, maintained that instead of bringing succour, the tax reform would further burden the poor, urging the president…

The Nigerian-born politician dominated the headlines towards the end of last year over controversial remarks about her birth country. While delivering her first speech of the year at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch said she did not want Britain to be like Nigeria. The Tory leader highlighted the importance of building trust, saying the Conservative Party is the right group to fix Britain. She said the UK could becoming like Nigeria if the system is not reformed. “And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because…

Senator Shehu Sani has expressed disappointment over the rising price of petrol despite expectations that the Dangote refinery would lower costs. In a post shared on X on Saturday, the former lawmaker stated, “The expectation was that Dangote Refinery will crash the price of petrol; the news that it’s increasing is baffling.” This follows an announcement by Dangote Petroleum Refinery confirming a price increase for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). The refinery now sells PMS at N955 per litre for customers purchasing 2 to 4.99 million litres and N950 per litre for purchases of 5 million litres or more. This price…

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has approved the recruitment of 1,800 teachers, 100 non-teaching staff, and 200 security personnel as part of efforts to bolster the state’s education sector and create a safer school environment. The Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Malam Bello Abubakar, announced the development in a statement on Friday in Ilorin, highlighting the initiative’s focus on addressing staffing gaps in rural schools. According to Abubakar, the application process will soon be launched online. Eligible candidates must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Education or equivalent qualifications, including B.Ed., B.Sc. (Ed.), B.A. (Ed.), or a university degree…

Brazil has formally announced Nigeria’s admission as a partner country in the BRICS alliance. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry made this known in a statement on Friday. Brazil’s announcement makes Nigeria BRICS’ ninth partner country, joining Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. The statement reads, “The Brazilian government welcomes the Nigerian government’s decision. “With the world’s sixth-largest population and Africa’s largest as well as being one of the continent’s major economies, Nigeria shares convergent interests with other members of BRICS. “It plays an active role in strengthening South-South cooperation and in reforming global governance issues that are top…

Twelve political parties will contest for the chairmanship and councillor offices in the elections set to be held across all 18 local government areas of Ondo State today. Before the scheduled poll, the last council election in the state was conducted on August 23, 2020, with the tenure of the elected council officials elapsing on August 22, 2023. Since then, the administration of the 18 council areas of the state has been managed by civil servants, specifically the Heads of Local Government Administrations. However, after several postponements, the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission finally fixed January 18, 2025, for the…

Petrol prices in Nigeria have increased to between N1,050 and N1,150 per litre, varying by location. This rise follows price increases by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and various depot owners. Dealers say petrol prices will keep rising because crude oil, the main component in fuel production, continues to increase in cost. Earlier this week, Festus Osifo, the National President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, predicted this price rise. “The crude price rose to $80 per barrel today (Thursday). Without exchange rate improvements, PMS prices will increase in the coming weeks,” Osifo said. The Dangote…

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi has said that the N800 billion allocated to the ministry in the 2025 budget proposal is not enough to fix the country’s road infrastructural needs. Umahi, a former Governor of Ebonyi State disclosed this on Friday at a 2025 budget defence session hosted by the House Committee on Works. He called on the Committee chaired by Akin Alabi to look at the possibility of reviewing upward the Ministry’s budgetary allocation in the 2025 fiscal year. “We plead with you to help us. N800bn eight hundred billion naira cannot do anything for us. It cannot…

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has clarified the incident that occurred during the presentation of the Nigeria Police Force 2025 budget to the Joint Committees on Police Affairs and Police Institutions at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, on January 16, 2025. Egbetokun noted that the disruption which erupted during the session was an “unnecessary drama that could have been avoided,” according to a statement issued on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. Before the presentation, the police boss had presented two versions of the budget to the committee members–both containing…