Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has expressed confidence that the emergence of Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, as the national chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), would pave the way for President Bola Tinubu’s overwhelming victory in the 2027 general elections. Prof. Yilwatda was nominated and unanimously endorsed as National Chairman by members of the National Executive Council of the party on Thursday in Abuja. In a congratulatory message on Friday, Aiyedatiwa described Prof. Yilwatda’s emergence as the new national chairman as a signal to re-engineer and reposition the party for greater success. The governor, in the message released…

A group of pensioners under the aegis of the Concerned Retirees of Abia State Hospitals Management Board (HMB) has appealed to Governor Alex Otti to urgently intervene in the payment of their 15-month unpaid salary arrears, inherited from the previous administration. The group acknowledged that while the arrears were not incurred by the current government, Governor Otti had earlier assured that the debts would be paid in tranches—a process that has since begun. Speaking on behalf of the group, spokesperson Ifeanyi Mbanefo lamented that despite repeated appeals and formal letters to the Office of the Accountant General and the Nigeria…

The Presidency has dismissed claims by the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, that the North has been neglected under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The presidency also stated that several critical projects and programmes are currently underway in the region. Kwankwaso, during a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano on Thursday, warned that national resources are increasingly tilted towards the southern region, resulting in deepening poverty and insecurity across the North. He lamented the deplorable condition of federal roads in the northern states, recounting how a cancelled flight forced him to…

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, CFR has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for allocating $3 billion for the completion of the Eastern Rail line. It will be recalled that the House of Representatives during its Wednesday plenary session approved the President’s request for the funding of the project. The project is seen as a vital component of the government’s efforts to drive economic development and improve the lives of people from the South East and Nigeria generally. While commending the President, the Deputy Speaker in a statement said that the Eastern Rail…

Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has appointed Mr. Joachim Achor, an indigene of Abia State as the Accountant General of Anambra State. This appointment marks a decisive departure from the longstanding tradition of reserving top government positions exclusively for state indigenes. Achor first came to Anambra as a student in search of academic opportunity. Upon graduating from the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, he was deployed to Anambra State for the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. During his service year, he earned distinction as the best corps member in the state, a feat that earned him the…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reportedly shut down a warehouse in Kano after finding a large amount of dangerous chemicals that can be used to make explosives. NAFDAC officials found the warehouse on Wednesday in the Kwakwachi area of Fagge Local Government, following a tip-off and inspection by NAFDAC enforcement officials. It contained 60,000 litres of sulphuric acid and 28,560 litres of nitric acid, along with 330 empty jerricans. The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who was represented by Dr. Martins Iluyomade, described the find as “mind-boggling” and said this was one…

A former Senate minority leader Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has described the threat and restriction of movement imposed on the former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, by the governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebolo, as a direct challenge to Nigeria’s unity and a brazen attack on the nation’s constitution. The lawmaker, who is also the Chairman of the South East Senate Caucus, warned that the Governor of Edo State lacks the constitutional authority to infringe upon any citizen’s rights and may, by doing so, have recklessly triggered a divisive trajectory that could harm Nigeria’s democratic progress. In a…

The Bauchi State Teachers’ Service Commission has approved the immediate removal of the Principal of Government Day Secondary School, Kirfi, Malam Musa Ahmed Ningi, over gross misconduct. Similarly, the Commission removed a senior teacher in the school, Malam Adamu Shehu, who was found guilty of conniving with the Principal to illegally sell some government properties belonging to the school. According to the Commission, the items sold include 32 scrap students’ beds, nine jumbo aluminum cooking pots, and an unspecified number of roofing zinc. A statement signed by the overseeing Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Garba Muhammad Bashe, said a four-man…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a formal disclaimer concerning an audio recording circulating on social media. The audio recording falsely claims the agency shut down the Tummy Tummy noodles manufacturing facility in Anambra State. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, clarified that the viral recording was not only misleading but also a recycled falsehood. According to her, the same audio first appeared in Oct. 2023 and was thoroughly investigated at the time. “The claims made in the recording are entirely false. “The Tummy Tummy noodles…

Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has appealed to members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to give up on the party amid its current internal crisis, urging them to stay united and committed to rebuilding the platform. Saraki made the call in a heartfelt statement shared via his official Facebook page on Wednesday, following his participation in a PDP Consultative Conference convened by one of the party’s founding fathers, Professor Jerry Gana. “It was an honour to join the Founding Fathers and stakeholders of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, today at the Consultative Conference,” Saraki…