Author: Drum Africa Correspondent
President Bola Tinubu swore in eight Federal Permanent Secretaries, 21 Federal Commissioners of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), one commissioner for the Federal Character Commission (FCC), and one commissioner for the National Population Commission on Monday. The eight permanent secretaries took the oath of office just before the commencement of the first Federal Executive Council meeting at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja. The swearing-in of the permanent secretaries, done in one batch, was anchored by the Director of Press, Media Office of the President, Biodun Oladunjoye. The permanent secretaries include Onwusoro Ihemelandu (Abia State),…
The lawmaker representing Delta North in the National Assembly, Senator Ned Nwoko, has disclosed that he left the Peoples Democratic Party because Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Ifeanyi Okowa did not give him space to function. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s aide, Mr. Fred Oghenesivbe, had accused Senator Nwoko of leaving the party over the fear of losing his PDP ticket in 2027. In a swift reaction, Nwoko disclosed on Monday that he had left the party because Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Ifeanyi Okowa were against the creation of Anioma state. He said, “I left because I want to be able to get…
As preparations for the 2025 Hajj gain momentum, no fewer than 1,700 intending pilgrims in Sokoto State have made their initial deposits, according to the state’s Pilgrims Welfare Agency. The agency’s acting secretary, Alhaji Ladan Ibrahim, disclosed this on Monday during a media briefing in his office, highlighting the progress made and the challenges still ahead. Ladan expressed confidence that more prospective pilgrims would complete their payments before the final deadline and that NAHCON has allocated 5,216 seats to the state. “We have already secured accommodation for our pilgrims in both Mecca and Medina, finalised negotiations with catering services in…
The leadership of the Obidient Movement has denied a recent media publication suggesting that the group has joined the Action Democratic Party (ADC). In a press statement released over the weekend, the group clarified that it has not joined or associated itself with any political party or coalition as of today. “From the video in circulation, we only saw members of the Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM) in a meeting with the National Leadership of ADC,” the statement said. The Obidient Movement further clarified that COPDEM is an organisation which also serves as one of the support groups.…
The Kebbi State Police Command has commenced the enforcement of third-party motor insurance across the state, following directives from the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun. The initiative seeks to enforce mandatory motor insurance while improving road safety. According to a statement released by the spokesman for the command, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, and made available to journalists, the enforcement operation, which began on February 1, 2025, is being closely supervised by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations, who is personally overseeing compliance efforts in the state capital. “Area Commanders have also been directed to implement similar measures…
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bode George, has charged President Bola Tinubu to end the suffering of Nigerians caused by his anti-people policies. Speaking on the state of the nation, George reminded Tinubu that Nigerians are hungry and angry. Addressing journalists in Lagos on Friday, the PDP chieftain called on the president to resolve the economic situation in the country. He said: “My message to Tinubu is very clear: Nigerians are hungry and angry. This is the time, as the Commander in Chief and the Chief Driver of the economy, to do something about the…
A former President of Germany, Horst Koehler, who served as head of state from 2004 to 2010, is dead. Koehler died on Saturday at the age of 81 after a brief illness, officials in the presidency announced. “Koehler passed away early this morning in Berlin after a short, serious illness surrounded by his family”, the German presidency noted in a statement. Before Koehler’s tenure as german president, he held several prominent international positions, including serving as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 2000 to 2004. Köhler resigned as Germany’s president in 2010 following controversy over remarks he…
The registration for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will now commence on Monday, February 3, 2025, instead of Friday, January 31, 2025. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) made this known in a statement released by its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, on Friday. Benjamin stated that this change is necessary to allow the Board to implement essential adjustments to its registration templates. These adjustments, according to him, come in light of the recent suspension of certain law programmes at selected universities, as submitted to the Board by the Council for Legal Education. Additionally, the Board said that it…
The Director General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, has said corps members will start receiving monthly allowance of N77,000 in February 2025. Ahmed, who disclosed this Thursday while addressing the 2024 Batch ‘C’ Stream 11 corps members in Katsina, said the allowance has been captured in the 2025 Federal Government’s budget. “This month (January) has already ended, but once the budget is passed. By next month (February), you will start receiving N77,000 instead of the usual N33,000,” the NYSC DG said. He explained that the N77,000 monthly allowance was approved by the Federal Government and urged…
The Northern Elders Forum has strongly condemned the arrest of Professor Usman Yusuf on Wednesday, January 29, by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In a statement released by the spokesman of the group, Prof. Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the arrest was alleged as a means to suppress and oppress popular democratic voices that openly challenge the poor public policies and bad governance being imposed on the people by this administration. “We are calling for his release, as it sees his arrest as purely politically motivated to suppress and oppress popular democratic voices that openly challenge the…