Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced a remittance of over N6bn to the coffers of the Nigerian government in 2024. According to the board’s weekly bulletin released on Monday by its Public Communication Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB generated a total income of N22,996,653,265.25 in 2024, out of which N6,034,605,510.69 was remitted to the government. Additionally, the board noted that the reduction of N1,500 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination form fees for candidates, multiplied by the number of beneficiaries, increased the effective remittance to N9,013,068,510.69. The board also said the remittance formed part of its operating surplus…

Popular Nigerian content creator Mark Angel has opened up about facing a tough year in 2024, revealing that he lost $3.7 million in forex trading and ended up drowning in debt. In a post on Instagram on Sunday, Mark Angel described how this loss led to one of the darkest times in his life. He felt like everything was falling apart, his properties were taken by loan sharks, and the pressure of debt made him feel hopeless. Mark also shared that while he was healing through therapy, another setback came, a scandal that shook his career and made him realize…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived Accra, the capital of Ghana, ahead of the inauguration of President-elect, John Dramani Mahama. Tinubu, who departed from the Presidential wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos around 4:20pm, was received at the Kotoka International Airport, Accra, by the Chief of Staff to the President of Ghana, Hon Julius Debra around 4:05pm, Ghanaian time. While in Ghana, President Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS, will join other African leaders to witness the swearing in ceremony of Mahama, along with his Vice President-elect,…

The Senator Representing Aba South Senatorial District, Enyinaya Abaribe  is optimistic that President Bola Tinubu will soon release the detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu. Abaribe who is also the leader of the South East caucus in the National Assembly gave the indication during a visit to Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti in his Country home at Umuehim, Nvosi Isialangwa South LGA. READ: http://Tinubu’s Anti-Masses Policies Will Cost Him 2027 Election – NNPP “I expect that the President will listen to both his Attorney General and every one of us who have been agitating that the…

The APC National Welfare Secretary, Donatus Nwankpa, has expressed doubts about Governor Alex Otti’s chances in the 2027 Abia State governorship election.  Nwankpa in an interview with The Sun Newspaper didn’t make a definitive prediction, but questioned Otti’s party affiliation, pointing out that independent candidates don’t contest elections in Abia State. Also Read : https://drumafricanews.com/2025/01/05/endorsement-your-bitterness-is-understandable-emeka-kalu-fires-back-at-abia-pdp/ “I have never claimed to be a prophet, and I did not see Nostradamus to tell me the secrets of how we can predict the way he did. But let me ask you something, does the governor of Abia State have a political party platform?…

Chief Emeka Charles Kalu, a stalwart member of the Abia State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for over two decades, has fired back at his party for disowning him over his endorsement of Governor Alex Otti. In a scathing response, Kalu clarified that his support for Otti stems from his commitment to good governance, not party affiliation. Kalu’s dedication to the PDP is undeniable, having served as Director General (DG) of the Atikulated Agenda and authoring “Atiku Abubakar: The Man for Nigeria.” Read https://drumafricanews.com/2025/01/04/endorsement-abia-pdp-disowns-emeka-kalu/ However, he asserts that his loyalty lies with the people of Abia State, not the party stressing…

Renowned gospel minister, Pastor Nathaniel Bassey, has received an esteemed invitation to minister at the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast for US President-elect Donald Trump.  The event is scheduled to take place on January 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Hosted by Reverend Merrie Turner, this non-political and non-governmental gathering brings together faith leaders and dignitaries from around the world to offer prayers and worship on behalf of the president and the government. Pastor Bassey, who was honored with “Pastor Nathaniel Bassey Day” in Albany, New York, in 2024, will join other esteemed guests at this significant event. “Let’s raise a sound…

The People’s Democratic Party, PDP Abia State Chapter has distanced itself from the endorsement of Governor Alex Otti for a second term in office by Chief Emeka Kalu saying he is not a registered member of the party from available records. Recall that a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Dr. Emeka Kalu, Chairman of E.C.K Foundation endorsed Governor Alex Otti for a second term in office, saying that there is no vacancy in Abia State Government House come 2027. The influential politician and philanthropist from Bende LGA in Abia North political zone of the State gave the…

The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, has asserted that nothing can hinder President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the 2027 presidential election. Responding to remarks by the Kano State NNPP Chairman, Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa, who warned President Bola Tinubu to prepare for defeat in the 2027 election, Zazzaga, in a statement released in Abuja on Friday, stated that Tinubu’s policies would have significantly improved the country, earning him massive support from Nigerians. Recall that Dungurawa, while speaking to journalists in Kano on Thursday, stated that Nigerians would reject Tinubu in 2027 because of his alleged anti-people…

The Borno State Urban Planning and Development Board (BSUPDB) has banned street hawking and other illegal activities in Maiduguri metropolis. The General Manager of the board, Mr Limán Mustapha, in a statement on Friday, said the ban was in accordance with the Borno State Urban Planning and Development Law of 2002. He said the board banned street hawking, operation of tricycle operators, and generator mechanics around the Post Office and Monday Market areas of Maiduguri. Mustapha said the board also banned any activity on pedestrian walkways, junctions, and roundabouts; the sale of engine oil on the road reservations; the dumping…