Author: Drum Africa Correspondent
The Katsina State Government has taken delivery of its first container of donated medical supplies from World Medical Relief in Detroit, United States of America. According to a statement issued on Thursday, the Chief Press Secretary to Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Mohammed, said the delivery stems from Governor Dikko Radda’s visit to World Medical Relief headquarters in November 2023, where he met with the President of the organisation, Mr. George Samson and his team. “The Governor conveyed his passion to ensure the good people of Katsina have access to high-quality healthcare. He also informed President Samson of the healthcare needs…
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu has tasked the United Kingdom Parliament to continue to support the advancement of democracy in Nigeria. Hon. Kalu made the call while interacting with Members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association led by Hon. Kate Osamor who hosted him to a meeting at Westminster, the United Kingdom Parliament as part of his itinerary during his working trip to the United Kingdom to foster UK-Nigeria Parliamentary Strategic Dialogue. Kalu had earlier met with the Deputy Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Africa, Lord Collins of Highbury at…
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has upgraded some medical-related programmes in Nigerian universities from Bachelor’s degree to doctoral status. This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by NUC’s Acting Director of Public Affairs, Franca Chukwuonwo. She said the decision was driven by the need to incorporate more clinical and practical sessions, improve foundational course coverage, enhance clinical skills, and address all specialty areas comprehensively. The commission stated that the upgrade aligns with global best practices for training professionals in these fields. The statement further noted that, as part of the changes, the duration of the affected programmes has been…
Chief Alex Ogbonnia, the immediate past National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has expressed joy over the release and return of Beatrice Ekweremadu to Nigeria. Ogbonnia praised Senator Ike Ekweremadu, describing him as a nation builder who contributed significantly to the development of Enugu West and Enugu State during his tenure as a senator. “I want to thank God for His grace upon Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife. It’s jubilation galore across Enugu State because they used their opportunities to touch lives, showcasing the quality they possess,” Ogbonnia stated. He continued: “The husband, in particular, represented the people…
Wife of a former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Beatrice has been released from the United Kingdom’s prison. Senator Ekweremadu, his wife, and Dr. Obinna Obeta were sentenced by a UK court over charges related to organ harvesting. A source who craved anonymity told Drum Africa that Mrs Ekweremadu, who was sentenced to five years in UK prison, returned to the country on Tuesday. She is said to be in Abuja currently. Our correspondent, however, gathered that there is jubilation currently going on in her family house in the Mpu community of Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, locked out hundreds of civil servants on Wednesday during an unscheduled visit to the state secretariat, where he found only a handful of workers present. As the governor’s convoy arrived around 10:35 am to inspect ongoing renovation works, including the installation of new lights, security personnel locked the gates, leaving hundreds of civil servants locked out. While touring various ministries, the governor expressed his dismay after discovering that some commissioners and senior officials were absent from work. On his way out of the secretariat, the governor addressed a crowd of workers gathered at the gate,…
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…