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250 bandits killed, 600 captured since network was shut down in Zamfara, others The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, says security agencies have so far neutralised 250 bandits and captured over 600 since the interruption of communication facilities in Zamfara, parts of Niger, Sokoto and Kaduna states. Irabor revealed this at the resumed weekly ministerial briefing, organized by the Presidential Communications Team, led by Mr Femi Adesina, on Thursday in Abuja. The CDS also disclosed that thousands of kidnapped citizens were rescued from various camps of bandits located in Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, Sokoto and Katsina states in…

The Nigerian military has said it will not prevent anyone from playing his part in the resolution of the fight against insecurity in the country. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, declared this position on Thursday at the resumed ministerial briefing anchored by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Fielding questions from newsmen on why the military has not deemed it fit to arrested popular Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi despite openly canvassing for amnesty for terrorists and bandits in the North West, Irabor clarified that the cleric was not working for the military and…

Comrade Sunny Idika, Publisher of Abuja based blog, The Whisperer, has described the Managing Director of Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, as a dedicated public servant, saying that the transformation of Nigeria's film industry under him is worthy of praise. Idika stated this in a birthday message on the occasion of Maduekwe’s 68th birthday anniversary. Idika explained that “since his appointment as the head of Nigerian Film Corporation, he has demostrated uncommon capacity and dexterity in revitalizing the film industry because of the passion and energy with which he does his job.” He said “Dr. Maduekwe is a…

Abia born philanthropist and PDP chieftain, Chief Dr. Sam Anya, has felicitated with the Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji on his recent emergence as the winner of The Sun Public Service Award for 2020. Anya, in a statement personally signed by him, described the Public Service Award bestowed on the speaker by Sun Newspapers as a reward for hard work, dexterity and his tremendous and outstanding efforts. Anya who described Rt. Hon. Orji as a golden fish that has no hiding place, called the award an affirmation of the excellence-driven posture of the Abia State…

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ezra Yakusak as Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Export Promotion Council, NEPC. Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, confirmed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. According to the presidential aide, the appointment is for an initial term of four years in accordance with the provision of Section 7 (1) of the NEPC (Establishment) Act, 1987. ”The appointment is with effect from Nov. 27, 2021,” he added. Until his appointment, Mr Yakusak, who holds a PhD in commercial law from Ahmadu Bello University,…

The House of Representatives has approved the establishment of two development commissions for the South-East and South-West geopolitical zones of the country. The commissions, which establishment Bills were passed into law by the Green Chamber on Tuesday, are akin to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and North-East Development Commission (NEDC), which were established to fast-track development and remediation in the Niger Delta and North-Eastern parts of the country battered by years of oil exploitation and insurgency respectively. While the House adopted reports of its committees on the commissions for South-East and South-West, the Bill seeking to establish the North-Central…

The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to rescind its decision which subjected the Independent National Electoral Commission to seek approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission before it could transmit elections results electronically. The upper chamber also voted in support of the conduct of party primaries only by direct method. The Bill is titled, “Recommittal of amended clauses of a bill for an Act to repeal the Electoral Bill 2021 and enact the Electoral Act 2021.” The Senate had in July, during consideration of a report on 2010 Electoral Act ( Amendment ) Bill 2021 submitted by its Committee on…

The Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu-Uche, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to grant amnesty to the detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a. Igboho, to end the clamour for self-determination in the South. Kanu-Uche, who spoke to journalists in Abuja yesterday, said many prominent people in the country had the listening ears of the agitators, adding that the government could use them to dialogue with the separatists. “He also suggested that the Federal Government pay N25,000 monthly stipend to repentant bandits and Boko Haram…

President Buhari budgets N1.6bn for his cars, N650m for Mambilla Power Project The federal government N1.6bn for ongoing phased replacement of vehicles and spares N1.6bn for vehicles in the Presidency, just as it proposed N650m as counterpart funding for the Mambilla Power Project in the 2022 budget. According to Daily Trust, the project, which has lingered for years, is among President Muhammadu Buhari signature projects. In the 2022 budget, the Ministry of Power has a N301bn budget for next year, higher than the N204bn in 2021. According to the highlights of the 2022 budget presentation by the Minister of Finance,…

There is the likelihood that President Muhammadu Buhari will sack more ministers when the ongoing performance appraisal is completed. The president alluded to this on Monday at the opening of a two-day Mid-Term Ministerial Performance Review Retreat organised to assess the achievements of the nine key priorities of the administration and the performances of top government functionaries. The retreat is being attended by ministers, permanent secretaries and other top government officials. Buhari said that he will sit through all the sessions to listen to the cumulative assessment of the administration’s performance over the last 2 years. During the past reviews,…