Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Friday, pleaded not guilty to 19 charges of money laundering amounting to ₦80 billion, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). During the hearing at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, the prosecution, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kemi Pinheiro, informed the court of their decision to withdraw an earlier application for abridgement of the arraignment date, noting that the application had been overtaken by events. The defence, led by Joseph Daudu, SAN, did not oppose the withdrawal, and Justice Emeka Nwite granted the…

The Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has announced a Christmas Bonus of 150,000 for each civil servant in the state. The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Monday Uzor, made this known in a Facebook post on Thursday night. Uzor disclosed that the state workers would receive the bonus before 1 pm on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. “Every Worker in Ebonyi State service will receive ₦150,000 as a Christmas Bonus before 1 pm on Tuesday… Gov. Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru,” the post read. Recall that on October 27, the governor approved the payment of N75,000 minimum wage to civil…

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has cautioned against the violation of the Supreme Court verdict on local government autonomy, vowing to deal with the erring council officials. Fagbemi gave the warning on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at a conference for judiciary correspondents. The AGF said governance at the grassroots has “suffered a lot” in the past but believes that with the enforcement of the verdict on local government autonomy, “life will come back to the local governments”. “People at the grassroots have suffered long negligence and it is enough. The government…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made a proposal to scrap the requirement for Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) as the sole means of voter accreditation during elections in Nigeria, its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said on Thursday. According to him, the proposal is part of larger recommendations to be presented to the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters before the 2027 election. Yakubu who announced this during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), explained that with the introduction of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the use of PVCs as sole means of identification for voter accreditation on…

President Bola Tinubu will present the 2025 budget next Tuesday, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has disclosed. Akpabio made this known during the announcement at the Thursday plenary. He said, “The president has made his intention known to the National Assembly to present the 2025 budget to the joint Assembly of the National Assembly on the 17th of December, 2024.” Akpabio announced that the budget presentation will take place at the House of Representatives Chamber. He further informed the lawmakers that plenary will be at 10:30 am to allow senators meet in the Red Chamber before moving in procession to…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has vowed to continue demolishing properties illegally built on government lands. Reports said that the minister has been criticised for embarking on a widespread demolition of houses in Abuja without due diligence and proper investigation. A construction company, Paullosa Nigeria Limited, recently raised the alarm over a demolition notice issued by the Federal Capital Development Authority to demolish its estate in the Lifecamp area of Abuja. The General Manager of the Estate, Vincent Enoghase, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, claimed that the FCDA had demanded N10 million for…

Kemi Badenoch has defended her remarks about Nigeria following criticism from the country’s vice president, Kashim Shettima, who accused her of disrespecting her heritage. The Conservative Party leader, who was born in the UK and spent much of her youth in Nigeria, has often spoken about living with fear and instability in a country she describes as plagued by corruption. On Monday, Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima proposed that Badenoch might “remove the Kemi from her name” if she did not feel pride in her “nation of origin.” According to BBC on Wednesday, In response to Shettima’s suggestion that she should…

The member representing Jos South and East Federal Constituency Alfred Illiya Ajang has defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a letter read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, during plenary on Thursday, the now-defected member claimed that the crisis in the Labour Party was the reason for his defection. The House was thrown into a rowdy session as some lawmakers raised eyebrows over the content of the letter. Lending his voice, Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda says the letter is not in accordance with the constitution of the House and…

Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu has said that strong efforts are still being made to secure the release of the leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kalu. Kalu reiterated the commitment in Abuja while meeting with the South East Legislators Forum made up of lawmakers from 5 State Houses of Assembly from the South East region led by the Majority Leader of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Kingsley Ikoro on a courtesy visit to his office. He said that a lot is being done behind the scene with the appropriate authorities,…

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says Nigeria is on track to add 150mw to the national grid before the end of 2024.  Adelabu said this on Thursday while briefing State House Correspondents after a closed-door meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. According to him, the upgrade will be made due to the successful completion of the pilot phase of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI). We have completed the pilot phase of this project, up to 80%. This involves the importation, installation, and commissioning of 10 power transformers and 10…