The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called for transparency and adherence to legal standards in appointing a transaction adviser for the revitalisation of Ajaokuta Steel Complex Limited (ASCL). Auwal Rafsanjani, Executive Director of CISLAC, emphasized the need for transparency in a statement issued in Abuja. He disclosed that CISLAC has formally written to the Federal Ministry of Steel Development and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), urging due diligence and transparency in the ASCL revitalisation process and the procurement of the National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) in Itakpe. Rafsanjani expressed concerns about possible irregularities in the procurement…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
Some of Nigeria’s most influential figures and thought leaders have pledged their participation in the headline panel discussion on social enterprise and national development at the Megastar Man of the Decade Awards 2024, positioning this ceremony as a momentous event in the country’s awards history. The star-studded event, scheduled for December 1, 2024, at the prestigious Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Abuja, will feature a high-level panel discussion themed “Social Enterprise: A Catalyst for Development in Nigeria.” This session brings together an impressive array of thought leaders, policymakers, and industry experts. Some distinguished confirmed panellists include Senator Adams Aliyu…
In 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, then-President Donald Trump rattled the global health community with his announcement to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). Citing alleged bias in WHO’s handling of the pandemic’s early days, Trump’s decision, if finalized, would have marked an unprecedented break from the world’s primary health agency. However, his successor, President Joe Biden, quickly reversed the decision upon taking office in 2021. Now, as Trump prepares for a possible return to the White House in 2025, scientists and global health experts worry about another potential exit from WHO—and its…
A violent confrontation broke out early this morning around 6:00 a.m. as the Nigerian army and residents of Gatawa engaged in intense clashes with the notorious bandit leader Bello Turji and his heavily armed fighters. The fierce gun battle is ongoing near Bakin Gulbi, close to Tungar Yakuba in Sokoto state, and has involved heavy artillery fire from both sides. Local sources report that the conflict erupted after Turji held a secret meeting in Dan Tasakko village, close to Gatawa, shortly after sunset on Monday. This clandestine gathering reportedly involved key members of Turji’s network, raising alarms among residents and…
ASHENEWS reports that the Niger State Government has established a transition committee to oversee the handover of the upgraded Alawa Game Reserve to the Nigeria National Park Service. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago inaugurated the committee during a State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Minna. Describing the event as historic, Governor Bago emphasized the importance of conservation and environmental protection for both human well-being and ecological balance. He highlighted Niger State’s leadership in environmental initiatives, noting it was the first sub-national government to organize the Green Initiative Summit and establish an agency dedicated to climate action. The…
The immediate past president of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) Alumni Association Worldwide, Dr. Olaitan Adesomoju, has donated one million naira for the renovation of the university’s Student Union Building. During the donation ceremony on Friday, November 8, 2024, Dr. Adesomoju, who served as Vice President of the Student Union during the 1999/2000 academic session, expressed that this gesture was his way of giving back to the institution where his leadership journey began. “I stand before you with humility and gratitude to give back to my first constituency—the very place where my leadership journey began,” Adesomoju said. “Throughout…
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (NJC), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has finally commented on the worries of Nigerians about the activities of some judges, which she says are giving the judiciary a bad name. “When your friends come to you, when your colleagues come to you, when the government comes to you, when your relatives come to you and you have a case before you, and appeal to you and you listen to them and you tilt in their favour and tweak justice in their favour, that’s fine; ask yourself where will they be when you stand before Allah explaining that…
After months of careful intelligence gathering and surveillance, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled two significant cross-border drug trafficking syndicates. The operations resulted in the seizure of cocaine and opioids worth billions of naira and the arrest of six key members of the syndicates in various locations across Nigeria. The syndicates, with members from Mubi in Adamawa, Onitsha in Anambra, Lagos, and Cameroon, were suspected of supplying drugs to terror groups in Nigeria and Cameroon. Among those arrested were Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Udechukwu Anayo, Ezeh Amaechi Martin, and Adejumo Elijah Ishola. According to…
Professor Emeritus Peter Adeniyi, former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), has launched the Professor Peter Olufemi Adeniyi Foundation (POAF), aimed at empowering individuals and advancing educational development through scholarships, research, policy reform, and innovation. The foundation was unveiled on November 7, 2024, at FUTA alongside his autobiography, Lifted. While presenting the foundation, Board member Engr. Dare Ojo emphasized its mission to provide meaningful support to those in need. “Our goal is to empower individuals to reach their full potential and achieve remarkable success,” he stated. “This will be realized through scholarships, financial assistance, educational initiatives,…
Former Minister of Communications, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd), has expressed his condolences to the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigerian Army in particular, over the demise of Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja. Lagbaja died in Lagos on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, according to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, “and the news of demise has been one that is uneasy, but we take our solace from the fact that he lived a well spent, though short-lived, life as a soldier, officer, commander and, above all, chief of the Army of the Federal Republic,” he said. General Olanrewaju,…