Author: Drum Africa

A House of Representatives member elect, Chief Benjamin Kalu has expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the N30,000 minimum wage into law. The incoming Bende Federal Constituency member of House of Representatives in a release to ABN TV on Friday said President Buhari has demonstrated his commitment to promote the welfare of workers and Nigerians generally by signing the new minimum wage. “I appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for this kind gesture of signing into law, the minimum wage after several years of debate, as a way of showing Nigerian workers how much he cares for them and his…

As the 9th House of Representatives prepares to be sworn in and to elect principal and presiding officers, the Speakership bid of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, current majority leader of the House, has been on the lips of Nigerians. The 5-time elected Member officially declared his intention to run for Speaker on March 31 and was shortly thereafter endorsed by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the coveted position. Beyond the party endorsement however, the quality of the legislator erases any doubt as to his qualification for the exalted role of Speaker of the House. He became a member…

Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, current majority leader of the house and APC-endorsed candidate for Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, in a message to his colleagues, wished them and the Christian community a happy Easter. The message by Gbajabiamila who is currently on a pilgrimage to Mecca, read; “My dear colleagues. Here’s wishing you all, particularly our Christian brothers and sisters, a happy Good Friday and Easter. May God answer our prayers and continue to protect us. Femi Gbajabiamila” The quiet and unassuming legislator is a devout Muslim who has on several occasions displayed exemplary tolerance and a lack of…

In recognition of Hon. Benjamin Kalu’s outstanding victory at the House of Representatives polls as well as his collaboration with Senator Elect, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu to ensure the victory of the President in Bende Federal Constituency, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari wrote a letter of congratulations to the Hon. Member Elect. In paragraph three of the letter, President Buhari extended a hand to the legislature asking for a partnership to uplift the economic and social well- being of Nigerians. When asked by Drum Africa, Chief Kalu said, “this is the evidence that President Buhari wants to do things differently…

The official declaration of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila for Speaker, House of Representatives, 9th Assembly will be aired live on ChannelsTV at 2pm, March 31, 2019. Hon. Gbajabiamila is the current Leader of the 8th House of Representatives whose interest in the position of House Speaker has lately been a subject of national speculation. He currently enjoys the full support of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu as well as many of the members-elect of the 9th House of Representatives. Watch the declaration online at channelstv.com/live or on the following channels.  DTSV Channel 254 GOTV Channel 95…

MY LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF BENDE – A BIG THANK YOU Dear people of Bende, I am sure this letter has been expected a while ago. I was waiting for the Certificate of Return from INEC before sending it out. As you all know, the election was like the examination while the Certificate of Return remains the evidence of successful outing. Without the Certificate, I had considered it too early in the day to start celebrating. Talking about elections in Bende Federal Constituency, many wondered whether a time would come when their votes will count. This has questioned democracy…

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Young Progressive Party (YPP) candidates for the Bende Federal House of Representatives have both congratulated Chief Benjamin Kalu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for his victory in the recently concluded National Assembly elections held on February 23. Drum Africa News was able to get hold of a copy of APGA candidate, Barr. Emma Ugboaja’s congratulatory message to BenKalu which was conveyed via SMS a day after INEC’s declaration of the election winner. It simply read, “My name is Emma Ugboaja, congratulations my brother. Cheers.” Responding to our correspondent upon being asked about the congratulatory…

It was a joyous atmosphere at the Uzuakoli country home of APC Chieftain, Chief Ikenna Ariwodo last night as he threw a victory party for Member of House of Representatives-Elect, Chief Benjamin Kalu in celebration of his victory at the recently held general elections. The soiree had in attendance dignitaries like Hon. Nkiru Onyejiocha, Prof. Victor Ukaogo and several other APC leaders. In a post event speech, Chief Ariwodo, more popularly known as O.C. Japan congratulated Chief Kalu for a battle well fought and won. Prof. Ukaogo in his closing remarks thanked Chief Ariwodo for hosting them. He further commended…

For the rest of us, the civic duty of voting is obligatory. We are at liberty to vote or to disenfranchise ourselves by staying at home on election day. On the other hand, for the National Youth Service Corp members assigned to be Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) adhoc staff at Nigeria’s elections, their disenfranchisement is automatic. However, the opportunity to participate in administering the voting process as an adhoc staff is consolation enough; or is it? Feedback by corpers who were designated Presiding Officers (POs) and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) of various polling units across the country regarding the…

Bende Federal Constituency Representative Elect, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, today held a meeting of his campaign council. Ditching the traditional practice of disbanding the campaign council immediately after victory pending a reelection bid, BenKalu charged the council with new terms of reference. BenKalu laid out his agenda and blue print for achieving his manifesto and keeping campaign promises in areas including education, agriculture, employment, health and women and youth empowerment. He expressed his intention to actively engage the campaign council as the core executive team of his constituency projects and all other promises made during his campaign. “Now is not the…