Military officers in Mali arrested the president, prime minister and defence minister of the country’s interim government on Monday after a cabinet reshuffle, multiple diplomatic and government sources told Reuters. President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and defence minister Souleymane Doucoure were all taken to a military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako, the sources said. The arrests bring further uncertainty to the West African country after a military coup in August overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Ndaw and Ouane had been tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition back to civilian rule after the takeover, but many inside government and the opposition worried about the military’s hold over key positions. The arrests occurred after the announcement of a chan...
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, wholeheartedly supports the stance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Southwest leaders at their meeting that took place in Lagos on Sunday, May 23rd, 2021 despite his absence at the meeting. Dr. Fayemi’s absence at the meeting was a result of a mix up in the invitation sent out for the meeting. For clarity, the invitation for the meeting which was said to have been sent via Whatsapp by Mr. Tunde Rahman, an aide to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, never got to Governor Fayemi. The absence of an invitation for the Southwest APC leaders meeting prevented the Governor from attending the meeting, as he was not aware. Governor Fayemi however sent an apology to the meeting through former Ekiti State Governor and Minister of Industries, Trade and Investments, Otun...
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, yesterday, charged officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to change the narratives about the country. Onyeama stated this during the opening of a three-day induction programme for over 350 officers posted to Nigerian missions abroad in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Onyeama told the officers that it had been a rocky and bumpy road to get to the point in which they were set to depart the country, adding that he was however glad that the day had arrived. “I am here to rejoice and to express my love for you all and to say that we have to keep hope alive, we have to maintain solidarity. We are in this thing together and by God’s grace, we will all be an asset for our country, Nigeria. That is what it is really all about, about Nigeria,...
File Photo Speakers of Southern States Legislatures, weekend, threw their weight the Southern Governors resolutions, banning open grazing of cattle, call for national dialogue, restructuring of the country and respect for Federal Character. The Speakers in a statement, commended the Southern Governors for coming together to speak with one voice, saying the resolutions of the Southern Governors were pathways to resolving the problems facing the country. The Speakers, said: “We the Speakers of State Legislatures in Southern Nigeria commend the Governors of the Southern States for their patriotism and firm belief in the unity of the country. “We salute the Governors for their initiative and restate our support for the positions of the Governors. We wish to state unequivocally that the issues ...
The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has called for unity in Nigeria in order for the country to overcome its many challenges. He identified equity, social justice and fairness as imperative in the pursuit of the nation’s unity. Obaseki noted that “Nigeria is one indivisible entity that must remain united irrespective of our regional or political differences.” The governor who spoke to journalists after a closed-door meeting with Southern Governors in Asaba, Delta State, reiterated the need for Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of love, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. According to him, “the meeting is geared towards solidifying the cooperation between Southern Nigeria. “We looked at issues affecting us, ranging from security, economy, regional cooperation and certain positions and h...
Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has made case for a southern Presidency in 2023, saying that there is going to be rotation of positions in 2023. According to him, “those allocated to the North would move to South while those in the south would move to North in 2023”. Governor Bello disclosed this in Minna on Tuesday when he received in audience North Central APC Stakeholders Forum on advocacy visit. He also said that the North Central Governors Forum has agreed that the position of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) should be zone to north central. “As the chairman of the North Central Governors Forum, I have called a meeting of the Governors and we agreed that we should not be left out. There are many aspirants from North West and North East.”. ...
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has announced the setting up of a $20million loan scheme to support women in business especially in the oil and gas sector. Executive Secretary of the Board, Engr. Simbi Wabote, stated this at a virtual roundtable by the Diversity Sectoral Working Group (SWG) of the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF). In his remarks, Wabote stated that the mandate of the Board has always been the need to promote local content in every sphere of the oil and gas sector. Quoting Section 57 of the NCDMB Act, he said the role of the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum is to provide a platform for information sharing and support in order to chart way for local content development in Nigeria. According to Wabote, “The basic aim of the NCCF is t...
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has unveiled guidelines for the forthcoming local government election scheduled for July 24. LASIEC Chairman, Retired Justice Ayotunde Philips, in the guidelines issued on Saturday, said the commission had fixed N150, 000, N100, 000 and N75, 000 as nomination forms fees for the chairmanship, vice-chairmanship and councillorship candidates, respectively. “Political parties are required to obtain the following LASIEC Forms: LASIEC 001, LASIEC 002, and LASIEC 008 for their candidates as from May 4. This ends at 12 noon, May 5 at the commission’s headquarters, Sabo-Yaba, Lagos. “LASIEC form 001 must be completed and returned to the commission by the political parties not later than June 4,” Philips said. She said that each candidate was...
CAN: Isa Pantami serving President Buhari’s interest
File Photo The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, says President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Isa Pantami as Nigeria’s communications minister to serve a predetermined purpose, noting the government will not cast him away no matter how loud the call for his removal becomes. CAN’s position was relayed by its General Secretary Joseph Daramola in an interview with Punch. The comments come less than 24 hours after the presidency defended Mr Pantami of his alleged support for terrorist groups. Mr Daramola said the Christian body is not surprised that the presidency swiftly came out to exonerate Pantami, saying those who tapped him for the job were quite aware of his antecedents and must have given him specific instructions to carry out in government. “Government studies the characters they pu...