By Abdul-Rauf Musa On assumption of office as Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff on July 13, 2015, following his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari, Sadique Abubakar met a nation at the throng of a precarious situation mired by myriad security challenges occasioned by the activities of Boko Haram insurgents and other violent non-state actors. As a thorough-bred professional, Abubakar’s first step was to reposition the NAF into becoming a highly disciplined professional force with advanced knowledge to effectively combat current and future security challenges and confront the ever-changing nature of contemporary warfare. One of his key drivers as the Chief…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Prof. Kabir Bala, Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU Zaria, said the huge agricultural complex of the university could aggressively transform Nigeria’s economy by making the country a net exporter of agricultural products. A statement issued on Tuesday by Auwalu Umar, Acting Director, Public Affairs Directorate of the university, said the vice-chancellor made the remarks during the field day for a newly established demonstration farm at Faculty of Agriculture. The Vice-Chancellor said the complex had all it took to play such role, if relevant researches were conducted for good harvest. He said apart from the fully fledged faculty of Agriculture, the…
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 195 new cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the country. The NCDC made this known on its official twitter handle on Monday. According to the agency, the new infection takes the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 57,437. The health agency sadly reported two new deaths raising the death toll in the country to 1,100. It also reported that 105 patients who had been treated and had also recovered from the infection were discharged across the country. The NCDC said that Enugu State recorded the highest number…
The General Manager of People’s FM in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Mr. Hayford Lawson has emphasised the role of media in promoting dignity in service. He said during a media sensitization visit by Comrade Mrs Timinepere Jombo Idoko, who is vying for the position of Deputy National President in the forthcoming Triennial Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, slated to hold in Minna, Niger State. Receiving Idoko, Mr Lawson, pledged his support to her aspiration to vie for the post of Deputy National President, assuring her of the station’s full media support. He commended her commitment to…
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has finally congratulated governor Godwin Obaseki on his re-election as the governor of Edo. This is contained in a statement by the chairman of the national caretaker committee and governor of Yobe, Mai Mala Buni. According to him, the peaceful conduct of the election and its outcome represents a victory for Nigeria’s democracy. He said the party and the president remain committed to free and fair elections to strengthen the foundation of the country’s political and moral authority. He commended INEC, security agencies, and all political parties that contested the election for the successful conduct…
The Nigerian Army has confirmed the killing of Colonel DC Bako in an ambush by the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents on Sunday. This is contained in a statement by the Deputy Director Army Public Relations 7 Division, Colonel Ado Isa on Monday. According to the Army, the Colonel led a patrol to clear Boko Haram terrorits from Sabon Gari-Wajiroko axis near Damboa, when his patrol team entered an ambush at about 10 a.m on Sunday. The statement added that Bako was wounded in action and immediately evacuated by the Air Task Force Operation Lafiya Dole to the 7 Division Hospital…
Netflix, the world’s leading Internet entertainment service, has announced new Nigerian original series in the pipeline plus three new Nigerian branded films licensed to Netflix. Ben Amadasun, Netflix Director of Licensing and Co-Productions in Africa, announced this in a statement Monday. The three anticipated Nigerian films by some of Nigeria’s prolific filmmakers – Mo Abudu, Kunle Afolayan and Kemi Adetiba – are set to premiere on Netflix. They include Òlòtūré, the story of a young female journalist who goes undercover as a prostitute to expose a human trafficking syndicate. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, Òlòtūré is part of Netflix’s partnership with Mo Abudu and her…
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) says the Federal Government has spent a total of N8.94 trillion on oil subsidy between 2006 and 2015. The agency disclosed this in a document on subsidy payment released in Abuja on Monday. It said that the subsidy was paid to oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the period under review. A break down of the money indicated that in 2006 a total of N257.36 billion was paid, in 2007, N271.51 billion while in 2008 N630.57 billion was paid to marketers. ‘Also, oil marketers in 2009 were paid N409.31…
It is the responsibility of the people of the Sahel to free themselves from the current cycle of violence, by prioritising peace, both as a human right and also a development goal If today Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad are painted red on the security maps of the world, it has nothing to do with the colour of its soil. As much as it pains me to write it, the terrorist threat is palpable and the risks are real. In some countries, political stability lies in the balance, as we have seen from recent events. All this contributes…
It is baffling and hard to believe that the Nigerian Army under the current leadership of Lt. General Tukur Buratai would recruit the service of publicists for dark propaganda, rather than public relations to protect its image. Just recently, the Army’s publicists shot a movie titled “Fatal Arrogance” that portrays the leadership and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), popularly known as a Shi’ite group, as terrorists. In their desperate execution of this plan, the publicists hired a veteran Nollywood Actor, Pete Edochie; a popular actress, Destiny Etiko, and a movie producer, Anosike Kingsley Orji, all Christians and…