Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The National Pension Commission has revealed that the Federal Government has released an additional N22bn through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation for accrued pension rights of retirees in MDAs under the Contributory Pension Scheme. In a statement released on its Instagram page on Tuesday night, PenCom said, it was for those who retired between October 2023 and January 2024. “These funds were disbursed into the Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund Account (domiciled) at the Central Bank of Nigeria. They are meant to settle accrued pension rights for verified retirees of Treasury-funded MDAs,” the pension regulator said.…

The Senate has vowed to push for the conduct of a national population census before the current administration ends in 2027. This commitment was reiterated during a budget defense session with the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa Kwarra. The Chairman of the Committee on National Identity Management and Population, Senator Abdul Ningi, said, “We will not rest on our oars until a census is conducted before this administration ends”. He revealed that the Senate was preparing to meet with President Bola Tinubu to stress the urgency of conducting the census in 2025. “We will soon engage the…

The Senate has suspended the 2025 budget defence for the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAGF), due to poor preparation and discrepancies in budget documents presented by the Auditor General, S.K. Chira. The suspension, announced by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, may lead to a zero allocation for the OAGF, as the Senate has set Wednesday, January 22, 2025, as the deadline for budget defences. This timeline aims to allow the Committee on Appropriation to harmonize reports from various committees. Chira and his team appeared before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Senator Ahmed…

Abia State Government has announced plans to recruit over 2,000 teachers for primary and secondary schools across the state. The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, made this announcement during a press briefing on Tuesday at the Government House in Umuahia. Recall that the Abia State Ministry of Basic Education, under the current administration, had established the enforcement of free and compulsory education in the state, with the appointment of education marshals to ensure that no child of school age is outside the school environment during school hours. According to Prince Kanu, “The Abia State Ministry of Basic…

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, held a meeting with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and leaders from Ogoniland at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Governor Fubara was accompanied by Senator Lee Maeba, with other notable members of the delegation including Senators Magnus Abe, Olaka Nwogu, Chief Victor Giadom, Chief Kenneth Kobani, Monsignor Pius Kii, Leedom Mitee, Senators Bennett Birabi Barry, Mpigi, and Joe Poroma. Also present at the meeting were Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Minister of Environment Balarabe Abba, Minister of Information and National Orientation Idris Mohammed, Minister of Regional…

The Federal Government of Nigeria has congratulated Donald Trump on his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States, U.S. Drum Africa reports that in a historic political comeback, Trump returned to the White House on Monday, after he was successfully sworn-in. In a congratulatory message, the Nigerian government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it looked forward to strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two countries. A statement issued by the Acting Spokesperson of the ministry, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, reads, “The Federal Republic of Nigeria congratulates President Donald Trump following his successful inauguration as the 47th President…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Olorogun Festus Keyamo, on his 55th birthday. The President, in a release issued on Tuesday by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, commended the learned silk for his commitment to the administration’s success and his dedication to transforming Nigeria’s aviation into one that is safe, efficient and customer-focused. President Tinubu noted the progress made in the sector over the past 15 months, especially the ratification of the Cape Town Convention for Aircraft Leasing, the commencement of lectures at the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU), and the…

Donald Trump’s government is set to recognise only two genders, male and female, the move will come as part of a swathe of executive orders the incoming president will sign on his first day back in the White House. It is one of two branded as “common sense” orders and will end all federal funding or recognition of gender identities. Mr Trump confirmed the move in his inaugural speech, saying: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.” The definition of male and female…

Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, completing perhaps the most remarkable political comeback in American history. The Republican, the first convicted felon ever to become commander-in-chief, announced a range of policies in his inaugural address – some of them bound to cause controversy. Proclaiming that a “golden age begins right now”, Mr Trump said he would rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and take back the Panama Canal. “I’m going to put America first… The scales of justice will be rebalanced,” he added. “From this moment on, America’s decline…

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Princess Zahrah Audu as the new Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council in a move aimed at attracting foreign investments and improving Nigeria’s business climate. This was disclosed in a memo signed by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume and made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday. Before her appointment, Audu, an entrepreneur and technology expert, was the technical adviser to the President on Foreign Direct Investment. She replaced Jumoke Oduwole, who has been named Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment in a recent cabinet reshuffle. The statement partly…