Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. He reacted to the allegations on Wednesday at the resumption of plenary in the Senate, after a week’s recess. Dismissing the allegations, Senator Akpabio said, “At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria.” The Senate President, who said he had been inundated with calls on the matter since February 25, and that he was…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from conducting a disciplinary proceeding against the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The presiding judge, Obiora Egwuatu, gave the order on Tuesday following an ex parte application filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel. According to the enrolled court order obtained by our Correspondent on Wednesday, the court said, “Upon reading the twenty-five (25) paragraphed Affidavit in support of the Motion Ex-parte and the Affidavit of Urgency, both deposed to by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Adult, Female, Christian, Nigerian citizen of Kogi Central Senatorial District, and…

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has granted provisional licenses for 11 new private universities in Nigeria. The announcement was made on Monday by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, following the council’s meeting, which was chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. According to Alausa, the newly approved universities successfully completed the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) rigorous 13-step assessment process before being granted their licenses. He further clarified that a moratorium has now been placed on the approval of additional private universities, meaning no new applications will be considered for the time being. “These…

Former Presidential Adviser, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa has criticised Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for alleging that she was sexually harassed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. In her response to the sexual harassment claim on Arise TV on Tuesday, Ita-Giwa stated that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is beyond the stage of making such allegations. According to Ita-Giwa, women cannot be sexually harassed when they become senators. “By the time you contest elections and get to Senate, you have passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed. “You go there to serve, and you are all equal in that place. And again, it shows…

The newly appointed Registrar, Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan-Ekiti, Mrs Abimbola Adewumi, has on Tuesday resumed office. Recall that Adewumi was appointed on January 23 as the second substantive registrar of the polytechnic. She holds a BA.Ed. in English from the Lagos State University, as well as a Masters in Human Resources Management from the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti. In her inaugural address, she expressed her deep appreciation for the opportunity to serve in the capacity of a registrar, describing her appointment as a call to service. She assured the polytechnic community of her unwavering commitment to excellence and pledged…

The House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended) has announced the extension of the deadline for submission of memoranda on the creation of additional states and local governments in Nigeria. According to a circular signed by the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Review Committee, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, on Monday, the new deadline for submission is now March, 26, 2025 and not March 5, 2025 as earlier announced. Kalu said the extension is in response to public requests for additional time, adding the committee remains committed to supporting…

The House Committee on South East Development Commission (SEDC) has approved N250 billion as 2025 budget of the South East Development Commission (SEDC). The budget was approved after its presentation by the commission during its budget defence before the committee on Monday. Speaking after the approval of the budget, Chairman of the committee, Rep. Chris said he was optimistic the approval of the SEDC budget would mark the beginning of good things to come to the South East in terms of development because the region has been neglected for over 54 years after the civil war. Rep Nkwonta said the…

The Abia State Government has confirmed that the planned relocation of the Abia State University (ABSU) Law Faculty from Umuahia back to Uturu will take place at the end June. The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday, during a press briefing held after the weekly executive meeting , explaining that the movement had been delayed due to accreditation processes by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the relevant professional bodies. Additionally, some students had outstanding examinations, prompting the government to grant them time to complete their academic activities. However with these issues now resolved, the relocation…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL) Limited, yesterday reduced the retail price of the premium motor spirit (PMS) or petrol, across its retail outlets in the country. In Lagos, petrol at the NNPCL retail outlets sold at N860 per litre, from a previous N945 per litre. The same commodity sold in Abuja at N880 per litre from a previous N965. The latest price cut comes barely two weeks after the NNPCL reduced the pump price in Lagos to N945 per litre and five days after the Dangote Refinery implemented a reduction in the price of the same commodity across the…

Mudashiru Obasa has been returned as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. Obasa was reinstated following the resignation of Mojisola Meranda, who stepped down from the role with immediate effect. He was returned as the speaker during Monday’s plenary session. In January, the lawmakers impeached Obasa over multiple allegations, including poor leadership style, high-handedness, frequent lateness to plenary sessions, abuse of office, and intimidation of colleagues. The impeachment was supported by over 90 per cent of the lawmakers. Reacting to his impeachment, Obasa rejected the process, insisting that the lawmakers did not follow the constitutional procedure to…