Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

Retired Permanent Secretaries of the Abia State government, have raised an alarm over the refusal of the government to pay their retirement benefits, while calling on the government to pay their gratuities alongside other benefits accrued to them. This is coming from a statement issued in Umuahia, the state capital, on Thursday, through the spokesman for the group, Mr Nkwachukwu Agumuo, stating that since they were abruptly disengaged from service, the Abia State government ought to have compensated them as stated by law so as to enable them have a footing in life after engaging in active service. The group…

Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede has made history as the first officer to assume the role of Acting Chief of Army Staff in the Nigerian Army. President Bola Tinubu appointed him on Wednesday to fill in for Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, who’s been on medical leave for about a month, receiving treatment abroad. Lagbaja has been away on medical leave for about a month in an undisclosed hospital abroad and is said to be recuperating. In his remarks at the event, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, described the appointment of Oluyede as an unusual happening in the history of…

President Bola Tinubu has made it clear that the tax reform bills will not be withdrawn from the National Assembly, despite the controversy surrounding them. Instead, he wants the bills to go through the legislative process, allowing for input and modifications along the way. This decision comes after the National Economic Council (NEC) recommended withdrawing the bills for further consultation. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement. According to the statement, President Bola Tinubu “received the National Economic Council’s recommendation that the tax reform bills already sent to the National…

The operatives of the Counter Terrorism Unit of the Imo State Police Command have reportedly foiled an attack allegedly unleashed by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network (IPoB/ESN) on the society. Police authorities said the separatists however were given a bloody nose as they lost one of their fighters during a gun duel with the police along Owerri-Aba Road near the Sam Mbakwe Cargo International Airport. According to the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Henry Okoye, a 10-man IPoB/ESN squad had unleashed attack on the area but were successfully countered by the police operatives. During the ensuing…

In a recent address, Tony Okocha, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Committee in Rivers State, has issued a strong warning to critics he claims are misrepresenting the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State. Okocha while speaking at a press conference held at the APC national secretariat in Abuja on Friday, emphasized that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is a direct political investment of Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State Governor. Okocha, who previously served as Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi from 2007 to 2015, expressed frustration with local media…

Abia State Government (ABSG)  has reaffirmed its commitment to paying the 70,000 Naira national minimum wage to it’s workforce this October. The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu who stated this while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti noted that payment of the minimum wage is in  line with the Governor’s commitment to the welfare of Abia workers. “Baring any unforeseen circumstances, the state government will commence the payment of the new minimum wage this month of October. “The Governor Dr Alex Otti OFR is committed to paying that…

The Chairman of the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Sunday Bisi, has urged the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, to avoid making statements that could incite political unrest in the Southwest region. Bisi, in a statement issued on Monday, was responding to Ganduje’s remarks at a political gathering in Ondo State, where he reportedly claimed his party had a strategy to “capture” the entire Southwest. The PDP chairman cautioned Ganduje that such utterances, which he claimed could inflame public sentiment, might destabilise the country. He also stressed that the people of Osun would decide who…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has hit back at the senator representing Kwara South Senator, Yisa Ashiru after he accused the agency of being the most corrupt in the country. Ashiru, on October 15, while contributing to a bill seeking to establish a National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation, accused the NDLEA as the most corrupt and compromised government agency in Nigeria. He added that NDLEA has failed woefully in its mandate. Reacting to the claims on Monday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the senator’s comments were borne out of vendetta. He noted that the senator’s residence…

The Confederation of African Football will on Wednesday announce its decision on the botched AFCON qualifying Group D between Libya and Nigeria, which was scheduled for Benina Martyrs Stadium on October 15. According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, the apex continental football body will announce the final decision regarding the players’ ordeal during the first leg in Nigeria in October, which ended 1-0 in favour of the Super Eagles and the reverse fixture that would have held at the 10,550-capacity, Libya’s first all-seater stadium. The outlet also revealed that the Libyan Football Federation submitted all the documents it collected with a…

Katsina State Government on Monday directed the immediate closure and revocation of registration and licenses of all private health training institutions operating in the state. This directive followed the recent findings by the State Ministry of Health about the operations of numerous unregistered private health training institutions, many of which operate under questionable standards in the state that have raised serious concerns. The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health Institutions, Umar Mammada, while addressing a press conference at the Katsina State Secretariat Complex, revealed that some of these institutions do not meet the necessary requirements to operate as private…