Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Thursday said the agency is extremely under-staffed. The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this at a news conference organised in Lagos to outline the agency’s focus for 2025. According to her, “The number of staff that an agency has or should have depends on the population of the country because it is easier to regulate a country with one million than a country with 300 million people. “I’m just giving an example based on our population; we are supposed to have nothing less than 10,000 staff; we…

The Federal Government has confirmed plans to increase telecoms tariffs but assured Nigerians it won’t be by 100% as requested by operators.  The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijan, made this known at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Wednesday. He said the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) would come up with modalities for tariff adjustment in the telecoms industry. Tijani said, “We’ve look at a number of things in terms of how to ensure that can meaningfully contribute to the development of Nigeria. “Some of those things include implementing the Executive Order around ensuring that we can…

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, signed the ₦3.366 trillion 2025 appropriation bill into law. Sanwo-Olu gave his assent to the budget tagged ‘Budget of Sustainability’ at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja. After signing the budget, the governor stated that the budget aims to address infrastructure, economic diversification, and other critical sectors in the state. He said, “The Lagos State government will also live up to the responsibility of delivering governance that is respectful of and responsive to the people at all times.” The governor charged the civil service and all other concerned stakeholders to deliver an impressive level of…

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has announced the appointment of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Jonathan Towuru as AIG Zone 6, Calabar. PSC Head of Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani, who made this known, stated that Towuru will be replacing DIG Daniel Sokari Pedro, DIG ICT, and will represent the South-South Geopolitical Zone in the Police Management Team. Born on 6th December 1965 at Ouwodo Kpokpo Olomu town, Ughelli South LGA, Delta State, Towuru previously served as Assistant Commissioner of Police, State CID Enugu (2011), Deputy Force Secretary II, Force Headquarters Abuja (2012), Deputy Commandant Police College Maiduguri,…

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the interim forfeiture of over ₦228.4 million, linked to former Abia State Governor Theodore Orji, to the Federal Government. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, represented by its counsel Fadila Yusuf, filed an ex-parte application alleging that the funds were proceeds of money laundering. Justice Emeka Nwite, in his ruling, directed the EFCC to publish the forfeiture order on its website and in a national newspaper, calling on any interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the funds should not be permanently forfeited. The EFCC’s application, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/03/V/2025, was…

Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has converted three of the five commissioners recently dropped to special advisers. This is contained in a statement on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the state governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Mukhtar Gidado. Gidado recalled that the governor had earlier dropped the five commissioners while nominating eight new appointees as commissioners to strengthen his administration’s service delivery. Affected commissioners dropped include Dr Jamila Dahiru, Education; Abubakar Bununu, Internal Security and Home Affairs; and Usman Danturaki, Information and Communication. Others are Prof. Simon Yalams, Agriculture; and Alh.Yakubu Hamza, Religious Affairs and Societal Reorientation.…

Renowned content creator Denilson Igwe has stirred controversy with his reaction to fellow creator Mark Angel’s claim of losing $3.7 million in a forex trade. Mark Angel recently took to Instagram to reflect on 2024, labeling it a tumultuous year due to the staggering loss. However, Denilson Igwe was quick to dismiss the revelation, accusing Angel of deceit. In a cryptic Instagram post, Denilson wrote: “Lies na water. Some people are just worse than the devil.” This comment has sparked discussions online, with fans revisiting the creators’ rocky history. Recall that in 2024, the duo was embroiled in a public…

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has raised concerns over the increasing vandalism of public infrastructure, particularly electricity transformers, which he said is undermining rural development initiatives in the state. To address the issue, the state government announced plans to deploy personnel from the state-funded Ibom Watch Security outfit to every village. These operatives will work closely with the police to prevent further damage to public facilities. Governor Eno disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the newly appointed Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, on Monday. He lamented the financial strain caused by the repeated replacement of vandalised transformers and…

The Nigeria Customs Service has said that it received 573,519 applications in the just-concluded 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, barely a week after the portal was opened. The applicant seeking jobs for the available positions surpasses the 3,927 vacancies to be filled by the service. Last week, Finance Minister Olawale Edun announced that the Federal Government had approved the recruitment of 3,927 officers for the NCS to bridge gaps and enhance trade facilitation. But providing an update after the expiration of the deadline, the NCS’s National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, revealed that a total of 573,519 applicants have already applied for…

Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has dismissed speculations about his potential defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Responding to the rumours on Monday, Oborevwori, through his Chief Press Secretary, Festus Ahon, described the claims as baseless and the work of opposition elements in the state. Reports had alleged that the governor had sent emissaries to President Bola Tinubu and was considering a move to the APC, raising doubts about his reception within the Delta APC fold. Refuting the claims, Ahon stated, “The rumours of Governor Oborevwori planning to defect to another party are…