Day: May 16, 2022

It’s too late to tinker with 2023 elections timelines – INEC

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it is too late to tinker with the schedule of activities for the 2023 general elections. Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, stated this while speaking on Monday in Abuja. Okoye spoke against the backdrop of the two months extension of deadline for the conduct of parties’ primary recently sought by Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC). According to him, any change in the June 3 deadline will affect other activities for elections. “The timetable and schedule of…

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Review salaries, emoluments of political office holders downwards, expert urges RMAFC

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir
President Buhari at national Assembly

A Financial Expert, Okechukwu Unegbu, has urged the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to review salaries and emoluments of political office holders downwards. Unegbu, a past president of the Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), made the call in a telephone interview on Monday in Abuja. He spoke against the backdrop of plans by RMAFC to review salaries and emoluments of political office holders and judicial officers. RMAFC’s Secretary, Mohammed Shehu, had recently announced plans to partner with relevant agencies of government to review salaries and emoluments…

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Presidential Deadline: Masanawa, MD, NSPMC resigns appointment

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir
ABBAS MASANAWA OF NSPMC

The Managing Director, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), Abbas Masanawa, says he has complied with presidential directive by resigning his appointment to pursue political ambition. Masanawa, who is one of the governorship aspirants of Katsina State, has bought and submitted Expression of Interest and Nomination forms. President Mahummadu Buhari had through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, directed all ministers and political appointees contesting for various elective positions to resign their appointments on or before May 16. Fielding questions from State House correspondents in…

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UN chief welcomes peaceful elections in Somalia

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir
FARMAJO, HASSAN SHEIK OF SOMALIA

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on Monday welcomed the peaceful presidential elections held in Somalia on Sunday and congratulated the president-elect. Guterres, in a statement by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, congratulated the President-elect, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on his election as the 10th president of Somalia. The 66-year-old politician prevailed against 35 candidates in the election for the country’s highest office, including the incumbent president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who had replaced Mohamud in power in February 2017. Parliamentary and presidential elections were long overdue in Somalia, where Farmajo’s term expired in…

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Buhari salutes renowned goalkeeper, Emmanuel Okala at 71

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday felicitated with Emmanuel Okala, the goaltender of the defunct national football squad the Green Eagles on his 71st birthday, which comes up on Tuesday. The Green Eagles metamorphosed into the Super Eagles in 1994. In a congratulatory message by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, the president rejoiced with the sportsman who earned global recognition and awards for his prowess in the field of play. The president joined Okala’s family, team mates, fans and professional colleagues in celebrating the auspicious occasion. He stated that Okala’s anniversary brought…

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JAMB increases UTME service charge at CBT centres to N2,000

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved that its accredited Computer Based Tests (CBT) centres should increase service charge per candidate from N1,400 to  N2,000. JAMB made this known in its Weekly Bulletin of the Office of the Registrar on Monday in Abuja. The board explained that initially, each candidate paid the sum of N1,400 made up of N700 for mock-UTME and another N700 for the UTME. The board said that the decision for approval by its management followed the high cost of diesel and other energy challenges…

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UTME: Parents express worry over backlog of admissions following ASUU strikes

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Some parents have expressed worry over the backlog of admissions following incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the country. In 2020, ASUU went on a nine-month strike, which was the longest since 1999 and about two years later on Feb. 14, it went on a four-week warning strike. It declared another eight weeks strike, saying it was giving the government more time to attend to its demands. Upon the expiration, it announced additional 12 weeks roll-over with effect from May 9, to end in August.…

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2023: MKO Abiola’s daughter explains why she stands with Yahaya Bello, not S’West aspirants

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Ms Hasfat Abiola -Costello, daughter of late MKO Abiola who is the Director-General,  Yahaya Bello Presidential Campaign Organisation, says  she stands with  Governor  Yahaya Bello (GYB)  of Kogi State  in the race for APC presidential ticket  and not South West aspirants. Abiola-Costello said her backing Bello was because she had seen in him,  qualities of the kind of leader Nigeria needed  at this point in time. She said this on Monday while addressing newsmen in Lagos ahead of the APC presidential primaries slated for May 30 and 31, in Abuja. Abiola-Costello, daughter…

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2023 Presidency: Sylva withdraws bid, back to office

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum, has withdrawn from the presidential race in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has returned to work.A correspondent who monitored the development at the ministry in Abuja on Monday reports that Sylva withdrew having considered the enormous work at hand at the ministry.The Northern Solidarity Group had on May 9, presented the APC’s Expression of Interest and Nomination form to the minister to enable him to contest the party’s 2023 presidential primaries.An official at the ministry who chose to remain anonymous said…

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2023: 93 from 500 APC aspirants jostle for 25 seats in C/River Assembly

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

No fewer than 93 All Progressives Congress (APC) members are gunning for the party’s tickets that will enable them to contest the 25 seats in the Cross River House of Assembly. Chairman of APC in Cross River Alphonsus Eba disclosed this in a telephone interview on Monday in Calabar. Eba said that initially more than 500 party men and women aspired to contest the 25 assembly seats. According to him, after much dialogue with the aspirants, bordering on issues of zoning, political strength and consensus, the party was able to…

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