Author: Drum Africa Correspondent
After days of power outage, the Kaduna Electric Distribution Company has restored power to its franchise area of Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states. The Kaduna State government convened a meeting on Friday with the management of the Kaduna Electric Distribution Company and the two in-house labour unions at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, where it was resolved that power be restored immediately. A statement issued after the meeting indicated that the parties had agreed to review past actions and work together to find an amicable settlement. A source said Governor Uba Sani acted as a guarantor and promised to ensure…
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has debunked claims of an explosion at the Warri refinery. It said the Warri refinery is currently loading eight trucks of diesel and kerosene per day. According to a statement by the NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, on Friday, this was due to the intentional curtailing of operations on January 25. Soneye said reports suggesting that an explosion had occurred at the refinery complex were false. “NNPC Ltd. wishes to clarify that there was no explosion at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC). Any reports suggesting otherwise are completely false.…
The Anambra State Police Command said it has arrested nine suspects allegedly involved in the killing of the member representing Onitsha North 1 Constituency in the state House of Assembly, Justice Azuka. The decomposing body of Azuka, who was kidnapped on December 24, 2024, along Ugwunaobankpa road in Inland Town, Onitsha, while returning home for Christmas, was found by the roadside at the second Niger Bridge, in the early hours of Thursday. The Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Nnaghe Itam, who disclosed the arrest of the suspects in a press statement issued on Friday, said the joint security team on…
The House of Representatives at the plenary Wednesday passed through third reading a bill for an Act to establish Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, in Item Bende, Abia State. The proposed legislation titled, “Bill for an Act to Establish Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, Item Bende to make Comprehensive Provisions for its Due Management and Administration and for related matters, was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, Hon. Wole Oke and five other lawmakers. The passage followed the consideration and adoption of recommendations presented by the House Committee on University Education. The…
A Deputy Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Kogi State, Adam Imam Yusuf, has been arrested over the alleged diversion of more than ₦3 billion. Yusuf was arrested by officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). ICPC disclosed this in a statement on its website, without indicating when he was nabbed. “Yusuf, who was at large until now, was taken into custody from his Gwagwalada, Abuja residence and is set to face prosecution,” the statement read. He was accused of conniving with a Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman…
Former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has said that there is no corresponding breakdown of expenditures to justify the increase in the 2025 national budget. The statement comes after President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, increased the appropriation bill for the 2025 fiscal year from N49.7 trillion to N54.2 trillion. Reacting to the development, Obi said that Nigerians need to know how the resources generated are being allocated for the sake of transparency and accountability. This, he said, was to ensure that they were judiciously spent on the country’s development and the well-being of the people.…
The Ministry of Education on Friday clarified that the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, merely proposed the introduction of a 12-year basic education system. The ministry stated that reports of an immediate policy change on the matter were untrue. Several media outlets had suggested that a new policy aimed at scrapping the Junior and Senior Secondary School system was already in effect. In a statement by the Director of Press at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, the ministry emphasised that the National Council on Education would review the proposal before any final decision is made. “At the Extraordinary…
The Federal Government has urged the National Council on Education (NCE) to scrap Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) and adopt a compulsory 12 years of uninterrupted basic education in the country. Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made the call at the 2025 extraordinary National Council on Education meeting in Abuja on Thursday, February 6, 2025. If the new policy scales through, it would abolish the 6-3-3-4 education system and bring in place a 12-4 model of education in the country. Alausa also sought the approval of the NCE to officially adopt 16 years as minimum…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced significant leadership changes at several federal universities, including the University of Abuja, now known as Yakubu Gowon University. According to a statement by the President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, these changes are effective immediately. At Yakubu Gowon University, Onanuga noted that President Tinubu dissolved the entire governing council and relieved Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi of her duties as Vice-Chancellor. Senator Lanre Tejuoso, currently Pro-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, has been appointed Pro-Chancellor of the Yakubu Gowon University. He will be succeeded in Makurdi by Senator Joy Emordi, now pro-chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University…
The House of Representatives has directed the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Customs Service to implement strict measures ensuring that only unexpired and high-quality gas cylinders and kits are imported into the country. This resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Aderemi Oseni, who represents Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in Oyo State. Oseni, a member of the All Progressives Congress, expressed deep concern over the rising incidents of gas explosions, which have resulted in multiple deaths, severe injuries, and the destruction of property worth billions of naira. He attributed the frequent explosions to the influx of expired…