Author: Drum Africa Correspondent
The Presidency has dismissed claims by the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, that the North has been neglected under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The presidency also stated that several critical projects and programmes are currently underway in the region. Kwankwaso, during a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano on Thursday, warned that national resources are increasingly tilted towards the southern region, resulting in deepening poverty and insecurity across the North. He lamented the deplorable condition of federal roads in the northern states, recounting how a cancelled flight forced him to…
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, CFR has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for allocating $3 billion for the completion of the Eastern Rail line. It will be recalled that the House of Representatives during its Wednesday plenary session approved the President’s request for the funding of the project. The project is seen as a vital component of the government’s efforts to drive economic development and improve the lives of people from the South East and Nigeria generally. While commending the President, the Deputy Speaker in a statement said that the Eastern Rail…
Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has appointed Mr. Joachim Achor, an indigene of Abia State as the Accountant General of Anambra State. This appointment marks a decisive departure from the longstanding tradition of reserving top government positions exclusively for state indigenes. Achor first came to Anambra as a student in search of academic opportunity. Upon graduating from the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, he was deployed to Anambra State for the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. During his service year, he earned distinction as the best corps member in the state, a feat that earned him the…
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reportedly shut down a warehouse in Kano after finding a large amount of dangerous chemicals that can be used to make explosives. NAFDAC officials found the warehouse on Wednesday in the Kwakwachi area of Fagge Local Government, following a tip-off and inspection by NAFDAC enforcement officials. It contained 60,000 litres of sulphuric acid and 28,560 litres of nitric acid, along with 330 empty jerricans. The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who was represented by Dr. Martins Iluyomade, described the find as “mind-boggling” and said this was one…
A former Senate minority leader Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has described the threat and restriction of movement imposed on the former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, by the governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebolo, as a direct challenge to Nigeria’s unity and a brazen attack on the nation’s constitution. The lawmaker, who is also the Chairman of the South East Senate Caucus, warned that the Governor of Edo State lacks the constitutional authority to infringe upon any citizen’s rights and may, by doing so, have recklessly triggered a divisive trajectory that could harm Nigeria’s democratic progress. In a…
The Bauchi State Teachers’ Service Commission has approved the immediate removal of the Principal of Government Day Secondary School, Kirfi, Malam Musa Ahmed Ningi, over gross misconduct. Similarly, the Commission removed a senior teacher in the school, Malam Adamu Shehu, who was found guilty of conniving with the Principal to illegally sell some government properties belonging to the school. According to the Commission, the items sold include 32 scrap students’ beds, nine jumbo aluminum cooking pots, and an unspecified number of roofing zinc. A statement signed by the overseeing Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Garba Muhammad Bashe, said a four-man…
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a formal disclaimer concerning an audio recording circulating on social media. The audio recording falsely claims the agency shut down the Tummy Tummy noodles manufacturing facility in Anambra State. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, clarified that the viral recording was not only misleading but also a recycled falsehood. According to her, the same audio first appeared in Oct. 2023 and was thoroughly investigated at the time. “The claims made in the recording are entirely false. “The Tummy Tummy noodles…
Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has appealed to members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to give up on the party amid its current internal crisis, urging them to stay united and committed to rebuilding the platform. Saraki made the call in a heartfelt statement shared via his official Facebook page on Wednesday, following his participation in a PDP Consultative Conference convened by one of the party’s founding fathers, Professor Jerry Gana. “It was an honour to join the Founding Fathers and stakeholders of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, today at the Consultative Conference,” Saraki…
Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, Hezekiah Bamiji, has described the defection of two senators who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a miscalculation by the lawmakers. Amid the speculation about Governor Adeleke’s possible defection to the ruling APC, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East, and Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi, representing Osun Central, decamped to the ruling party on Wednesday. Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Bamiji said the federal lawmakers dumped the PDP because they thought the governor was planning to join the…
Marking a major shift in Africa’s media industry, French broadcasting powerhouse Canal+ has completed a $3 billion acquisition of South Africa’s MultiChoice Group, taking full ownership of leading pay-TV platforms DStv and GOtv. The acquisition received the green light from South Africa’s Competition Tribunal on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 after a long-anticipated takeover. The deal, valued at approximately 55 billion rand, was confirmed following months of regulatory scrutiny and negotiations. Canal+, which already held a 45.2% stake in MultiChoice, moved to acquire the remaining shares after investing €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) since 2020. The transaction is expected to close by…