Dennis

  Ibrahim Musa Gusau has emerged the new President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) after winning the federation’s election held in Benin on Friday. He was elected as the new NFF President at NFF’s 78th Elective Congress in Benin. Gusau garnered   21 votes to defeat his closet challenger, Seyi Akinwunmi, who scored 12 votes. Also, the second runner-up, Shehu Dikko, got six votes. Gusau was the Zamfara FA Chairman before the elections. He succeeds immediate past president Amaju Melvin Pinnick who led the NFF for eight years of two tenures. The former Chairman of Chairmen of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), will head the NFF Board for a period of four years as President. The election eventually held peacefully after days and weeks of uncertainty and suspense, following a ruling by the Court of Appeal which ordered a stay of execution of an ex-parte injunction secured by some fellows a fortnight ago to put a wedge on the election. Among the 10 individuals who jostled to suc

Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has expressed worry over the way and manner organized labour have been tackling issues bordering on the welfare of the masses in Nigeria in recent times He observed that the performance of labour organizations such as the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have not been too impressive in terms of protecting the interest of their members,  democracy and the national economy. Senator Ewhrudjakpo stated this while granting audience to the National President of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Comrade Benjamin Anthony, and the South-South chairpersons of the Union in Government House, Yenagoa. the Deputy Governor asserted that organized labour had lost the fervency it was known for in the past when the likes of late Michael Imodu, Ali Ciroma, Chief Ovie Kokori, Chief Wariebi Agamene of NUPENG and others held sway. Insist

  Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Wednesday, paid glowing tributes to the former State chairman of Environmental Sanitation Authority,  late Mr. Tolu Amatu, saying the deceased will be sorely missed for his contributions towards Bayelsa's political development. Governor Diri, who stated this at the service of songs held at the DSP Memorial Banquet Hall in honour of the Ekeremor-born politician, said Mr Amatu would not be forgotten in the political history of the state. Represented by his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the Governor noted that there was no best time to die, insisting however, that all the testimonies about the deceased pointed to the fact that he lived a good life. Describing him as a true mobilizer, philanthropist and compatriot, Governor Diri emphasisd that the Amatu family, Ekeremor LGA, the Bayelsa West Senatorial District, and the entire state have incurred a huge loss following the death of Mr Tolu Amatu. He, however, encouraged the bereav

The Bayelsa State Government has urged the Igbo community in the state to remain peaceful and united as they join their kith and kin at home and abroad to celebrate the 2022 World Igbo Day on Thursday. The state Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made the call, on Wednesday, at a meeting with the leadership of the Ohaneze Ndigbo, Bayelsa Chapter, at his office in Government House, Yenagoa. Senator Ewhrudjakpo, in a statement by his media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, said no house divided against itself could stand, and therefore, advised the Igbo community to sink their differences to foster peace, unity and progress among them. He, however, warned that government would not allow the celebration of a parallel Igbo Day celebration in the state as it is capable of precipitating a crisis among members of Ohaneze Ndigbo in the state. The Deputy Governor futher stressed that government would not recognize two factions of leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo, warning those who are bent on cau

Osun State Governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on Wednesday expressed optimism of a favourable judgment as the Supreme Court rules on a suit instituted against his candidature as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Osun July 16 governorship poll on Thursday (today).   The apex court is expected to rule on the case filed against Adeleke’s candidature by a PDP governorship aspirant, Dotun Babayemi, who asked the court to invalidate the primary election that produced the governor-elect, citing non-compliance with a court order.   In his judgment on the matter on May 18, Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of a Federal High Court, sitting in Osogbo, had upheld the governorship primary that produced Adeleke.   Also, the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, in its judgment of July 20 on the appeal filed against the decision of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, aligned with the lower court and dismissed Babayemi’s appeal.   Ahead of the Supreme Court judgment on Thursd

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, on Wednesday, arrived in Jos, the Plateau State capital, in continuation of his campaign.   Obi, who arrived in the state in company with his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, was received by a large crowd, including the governorship candidate of the party in the state, Dr Patrick Dakum, at the Heipang Airport.   He went straight to pay homage to the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Senator Jonah Jang; and the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Buba, before his convoy headed to the Rwang -Pam Township Stadium where members of various support groups were waiting to welcome him.   Addressing the gathering, Obi said he intended to bring about a new Nigeria if elected as the President in the 2023 elections.   He promised to revive education, power and all other public infrastructures, adding that children will go to school without any hindrance.   He stated that his administration will stop the stealing of public funds a

The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has charged senior directors to ensure strict compliance with asset declaration processes, adding that refusal is an offence liable for sanctions.   A permanent secretary in the ministry, Bashir Alkali, gave the warning during a sensitisation workshop organised for directors on the strict compliance with asset declaration processes, code of conduct and the consequences attached to infringements.   Alkali, in a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Blessing Lere-Adams, on Wednesday, stated that the workshop was to enlighten the participants on the provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal and its application as they relate to asset declaration.   It was reported that according to the 14 codes guiding public officers in the Code of Conduct Act & Code of Ethics in Government Business, civil servants are mandated to declare their assets every four years within years they are still in service.   The perm secre

  The Federal Government on Wednesday declared Monday, October 3, 2022, a public holiday to mark the nation’s 62nd Independence anniversary.   The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated Nigerians on this year’s celebration.   In a statement signed by Shuaib Belgore, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Aregbesola assured citizens of the government’s commitment to tackling all the challenges facing the nation.   He said, “The world is going through dire economic and security challenges which have also affected our nation. However, I am assuring us all that the government will not abandon the people but will continue to confront all these challenges with all the might at our disposal until respite comes our way.   “Our warmth, welcoming spirit and love as well as our unbounded human capital and the richness of our land, make Nigeria unarguably the leading black nation in the world and Africa’s pride and beacon of

  Participants of the second batch of the Bayelsa State sponsored training program me  for farmers and intending farmers on agriculture have been charged to take the exercise seriously, and be good ambassadors of the state.   The 200 beneficiaries, expected to be trained in Nasarawa State for a period of two weeks,  by Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) will be on fish farming, vegetable production, poultry, cassava and farm management among other areas.   Speaking during a briefing/orientation programme for participants, Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chief David Alagoa, said the essence is to enable them acquire practical knowledge on modern farming system.   Chief Alagoa, who described the programme as deliberate government plans to ensure food sufficiency, exporter of agricultural produce, implored them to add value to the agricultural value chain, upon  completion of the programme two weeks programme.   While describing agriculture as the mainstay of the eco

  The Federal High Court sitting in Damaturu, on Wednesday, ordered the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise Bashir Machina as the party’s candidate for Yobe North senatorial seat.   The News Agency of Nigeria reported that Justice Fadimatu Aminu directed the APC to submit Machina’s name to INEC as the rightful winner of the party’s primary election held in the district on May 28.   She held that the “phantom June 9 primary election” that produced the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, as the winner and candidate was a “nullity” because INEC did not monitor the election.   Justice Aminu also discounted the claim that the case was statue-barred, saying the cause of action arose on June 17, not May 28.   The judge said Machina, the plaintiff, approached the court when he discovered that the first defendant, the APC, had forwarded Lawan’s name to INEC as its candidate.   She, therefore, said the constitutional requirement of filing th

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has rewarded Bayelsa Queens Football Club, winners of the 2022 WAFU-ZONE B qualifiers for the CAF Women's Champions League to be hosted by Morocco. Earlier this month, the Prosperity Girls, won the CAF Women's Champions League qualifiers in Yamousokro, Cote D'Ivoire, to get the sole ticket from the zone to qualify.  It was Bayelsa Queens first appearance in the zonal qualifiers of the second edition of the WAFU-ZONE B qualifiers and the first club from Nigeria to win it.  At a reception held inside the Executive Council Chamber of the Government House in Yenagoa on Tuesday, Governor Diri commended the team for the feat and for making the state proud. He charged them not to relent in training and that the victory should spur them to achieve greater laurels, which is going to Morocco to conquer Africa. The governor announced the sum of ten million (10m) naira to the team and also fulfilled the promise he made to the team. Governor D

The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party are among the parties that are yet to submit their audit reports from the last general election.   The two major parties also ran afoul of campaign expenditures as they were said to have exceeded the N1bn ceiling set by the Electoral Act.   However, the Independent National Electoral Commission said it had prepared forms that would make the process easier to track expenditures and had also trained auditors from the registered political parties.   The Commission’s Director, Elections and Party Monitoring, Aminu Idris, disclosed this on Tuesday in Lagos at the two-day capacity-building workshop for journalists on critical issues in the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Commission’s Processes, Innovations, Preparations for the 2023 General Election.   Idris said only 34 political parties out of the 91 registered parties that participated in the 2019 elections have submitted their audit reports.   Among the 34 however, only nine met

The United States has trained Nigerian domestic security services, law enforcement, and first responders, to enhance their ability to investigate terrorist plots involving chemical and biological weapons.   The training conducted between September 19 and 23 was part of a series of training being sponsored across Africa by the US Department of State.   It also involved sharing best practices and lessons learned, resulting in an increased level of preparedness against potential CBW terrorism plots or attacks.   This was disclosed in a statement made available to newsmen by the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, Public Affairs Section, on Tuesday.   The statement read in part, “Recent events in the Middle East have demonstrated the real threat of terrorist acquisition and use of chemical and biological weapons on the battlefield or in ungoverned spaces. These attacks have highlighted the need for countries to have effective national responses, particularly a strong investigative

The Benue State Government on Tuesday declared the loss of 23 persons to flooding across the state.   It also declared that 74 persons were injured in the flood that ravaged 11 local government areas of the state.   The affected local government areas are Guma, Vandeikya, Otukpo, Katsina-Ala, Makurdi, Apa, Agatu, Tarka, Gboko, Gwer West and Logo.   The Executive Secretary of the State Emergency and Maintenance Agency, Dr Emmanuel Shior, who disclosed this during the distribution of relief materials to the displaced persons, added that 116,084 persons had been displaced across the state.   Shior, who gave statistics of the affected communities, explained that 14,040 hectares of land were washed away, adding that 12,856 households were displaced.   He further said 4,411 houses were submerged.   “As of the time we received the flood prediction in July, we activated contingency plans and embarked on sensitisation and awareness campaigns. We did jingles on the pending flood.   “But some peo

The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill amending the Court of Appeal Act, 2013, to increase the number of justices of the court from 90 to 110.   The passage followed a report presented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.   Opeyemi, while presenting the report, told the lawmakers that the intent of the amendment of the Court of Appeal Act was to ensure that the court has the requisite manpower to provide for the creation of more divisions of the court   He said, “The legislative intent of this amendment is to ensure that the court has the requisite manpower to allow for the creation of more divisions of the court and to bring the court closer to litigants in line with the current realities aimed at expediting dispensation of justice.   ''This is necessary to eliminate delay in the justice delivery system, as it relates to the adjudicatory powers of the court in tandem with its appellate jurisdiction.   “This proposed amendment

A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Tuesday, nullified all primaries conducted by the various factions of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.   The presiding judge, Justice O. O. Oguntoyibo, called for a rerun of the primaries within 14 days.   The court declared that all the primaries conducted by the PDP in the state were not in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.   Justice Oguntoyinbo stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising Ladi Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the party in the state.   The party on May 25 conducted the primary election which produced Adebutu as the governorship candidate.   A former governorship aspirant, Jimi Lawal, had approached the court to challenge the delegates list used during the primary by the Sikirulahi Ogundele-led party executives at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in the state capital.   Three members of Lawal’s group, Taiwo Idris, Kehinde Akala and

  Contrary to an earlier report that he has ditched his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Tuesday declared that he stands by Wike.   Addressing journalists in Makurdi after a meeting with caucus members of the Peoples Democratic Party from the North West senatorial district, known as Zone B, Ortom said nothing would make him leave Wike.   The governor said, “I just came back from London with Wike this morning. We are friends, and I still maintain my stand on what I said. I haven’t left. I still sympathise with Wike about the injustice meted out to him.   Politics is about interest and where your interest is not protected, you have a right to protest, and I think that is what is happening. The party leadership has not been fair to Governor Wike based on activities that took place during and after the convention. We have not been able to adequately deploy the internal conflict mechanism to resolve those issues, and this is all I have been sayin

A bill to legalise the rotation of power in Nigeria across the six geo-political zones was strongly rejected by senators at the plenary on Tuesday.   The bill sponsored by the lawmaker representing Benue South, Senator Patrick Moro, generated a lot of arguments on the floor as it was mainly supported by the majority caucus.   Senator Moro, in his lead debate on the piece of legislation titled, “A Bill for an Act to provide for the Rotation of Power and Other Related Matters therein 2022,” stated, “If there is a law on power rotation in Nigeria, it will help to ameliorate the squabble for power, particularly the Presidency across the various six geo-political zones, and also promote unity in the country.”   The motion was first opposed by the APC senator representing Kebbi South, Bala Na’ Allah, who said the bill should have been presented as one seeking to amend relevant provisions of the Constitution and not just one seeking legislation from the Senate or, by extension, the National A

Nigerian rapper, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has reacted to the burning of 194 billion Naira worth of cocaine by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.   Last week, the agency reported a large scale drug bust carried out in a warehouse located at Ikorodu, Lagos State.   During the operation, 197 billion naira worth of cocaine, which weighed 1.8tonnes was seized, and the suspected drug barons were also arrested.   In a video shared via the agency’s Twitter page on Tuesday, NDLEA showed the seized drugs being set ablaze.   Reacting to the news, lawyer turned rapper, Falz, faulted the agency for burning potential evidence before culprits are arraigned before a court of law.   He asked, “This administration must really think that we are daft sha!! What is this lamba (lie) that the NDLEA is giving with this cocaine seizure saga? Dem dey burn evidence?”   In a release shared by the agency on Tuesday, it was stated that an order of the Federal High Court in Lagos was obtained