Author: Drum Africa Correspondent
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the construction of an airport in the State, a move seen as a significant dividend of democracy for the Southeast region under the current administration. The APC leadership also welcomed the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, to the official flag-off ceremony for the airport’s construction. The party expressed excitement about the project, believing it confirms the reality of Igbo reintegration under President Tinubu’s administration. In a brief statement, the leadership in Abia said “We are excited to welcome the Honorable minister of Aviation, Mr. Festus…
President Bola Tinubu on Monday appointed eight permanent secretaries in the Federal Civil Service to fill existing vacancies in some states and geopolitical zones. “The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation recommended that the new permanent secretaries be appointed after diligent selection,” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed in a statement Monday evening. The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu appoints eight new Permanent Secretaries.’ They are as follows: 1. Onwusoro Ihemelandu (Abia State) 2. Ndiomu Philip (Bayelsa State) 3. Anuma Nlia (Ebonyi State) 4. Ogbodo Nnam (Enugu State) 5. Kalba Usman…
Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman was crowned African Player of The Year, while the Super Falcons retained their Women’s National Team of The Year award, and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie successfully defended her Goalkeeper of The Year title at the 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday. Lookman’s triumph made him the seventh Nigerian to win the prestigious award and maintained Nigeria’s impressive record in the category following Victor Osimhen’s victory last year. The Atalanta striker’s remarkable year included three goals and two assists as Nigeria reached their eighth Africa Cup of Nations final in February, while his hat-trick secured…
The Federal Executive Council on Monday approved the renaming of the University of Abuja as Yakubu Gowon University. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to State House correspondents following the council’s last meeting for 2024 at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. The University of Abuja also known as UNIABUJA was established in January 1988 under Decree No. 110 of 1992 as amended, as a dual-mode university with the mandate to run conventional and distance learning programmes. The university started academic work in 1990 with the matriculation of its pioneer students. Yakubu Gowon is Nigeria’s former…
The Defence Headquartres (DHQ) has dismissed reports alleging plans to site a French military base in the north-east. Edward Buba, director of defence media operations, reacted in a statement on Monday. In an X post on Saturday, Mahdi Shehu, a public affairs and political commentator, alleged that a French military base would soon be sited in the north-east after Femi Oluyede, chief of army staff, reportedly received French soldiers. “Yesterday, the Chief of Army staff received the first contingent of French soldiers and immediately deployed them to Maiduguri to ‘HELP NIGERIA IN FIGHTING BOKO HARAM’,” the post reads. “The same…
The Supreme Court, has dismissed a suit seeking to sack President Bola Tinubu from office. The apex court on Monday in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel of justices, awarded a fine of N5 million against the plaintiff, Chief Ambrose Owuru, who was the presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party, HDP, in the 2019 general election. The panel, which was led by Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, warned the Registry of the Supreme Court not to accept any frivolous originating summons from the plaintiff again. In the legal action he filed directly at the apex court, Owuru, among other…
Nigeria’s inflation rate increased to 34.6% in November 2024, up from 33.8% in October, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, released on Monday, highlights a 0.72% rise in inflation within a month. The NBS reported a significant year-on-year increase of 6.4 percentage points compared to the 28.2% inflation rate recorded in November 2023. On a month-on-month basis, inflation rose by 2.638% in November 2024, a marginal drop of 0.002 percentage points from October’s 2.64%. “This indicates that while prices are still increasing, the rate of monthly price growth slowed slightly in…
The Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS has given Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger six months, from January 29 to July 29, 2025, to reconsider their decision to exit the regional bloc. President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, announced the six-month grace on Sunday in Abuja after the 66th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government. “The Authority takes note of the notification by the Republic of Burkina Faso, Republic of Mali and Republic of Niger of their decision to withdraw from ECOWAS. “The Authority acknowledges that by the provisions…
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has directed its members to resume duties effective Monday, December 16, 2024. This directive followed the expiration of a two-week industrial action observed by the union from December 2, 2024, to December 15, 2024. ASUP President, Shammah Kpanja, in a statement, said the directive for polytechnic lecturers to resume duties followed the warning strike over the inability of the government through its agencies to execute nine items in the work plan jointly developed with ASUP to resolve some pending issues of trade dispute. “Within the period of the strike, the Federal Ministry of…
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has stated that his government has committed over N2 billion to upgrade the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital and build student hostels to address accommodation shortages. Mbah made this disclosure on Saturday while responding to questions from the Students’ Union leadership during his Town Hall meeting with Enugu residents, themed “Governance Issues: The Journey So Far.” He explained that his administration was not only building smart schools for primary and secondary students but was also focused on fostering innovation and experiential learning in the state’s tertiary institutions. According to Mbah, the state government has…