ONE WORD

The Zamfara State Government has broken its silence on the raid on residence of ex-Governor Bello Matawalle. Daily Trust had reported how policemen stormed the Gusau residence of the former governor on Friday morning. But hours after the raid, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara said operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and police raided the residences of Matawalle in Gusau and his hometown of Maradun. The party had accused the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal of witch-hunt, saying the immediate past governor ought to be charged to court if there is any issue against him. But in a statement on Wednesday evening, Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the Zamfara Governor, Suleiman Idris, said government’s stolen property were recovered during the operation. “The Zamfara State Government has cleared the air on the operation of the Nigeria Police Force that led to the recovery of vehicles looted by the former State Governor, Bello Mohammaed Mat

President Bola Tinubu has justified the removal of fuel subsidy, saying that the country cannot continue feeding smugglers and acting as Father Christmas to neighbouring countries. He said this at an interactive session with the Royal Fathers under the aegis of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) at the Aso Villa on Friday, according to a statement by State House Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye. The President informed them of the decision to remove fuel subsidy, improve security, create jobs, and sustain the environment as well as the forthcoming election of principal officers of the 10th National Assembly. ‘‘I am grateful that you are paying attention to what I have been doing. You have paid attention to the subsidy removal. Why should we in good heart and sense, feed smugglers and be Father Christmas to neighbouring countries, even though they say not every day is Christmas? ‘‘The elephant that was going to bring Nigeria to its knees is the subsi

  President Tinubu has assented to the 2023 Electricity Act which is a replacement for the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005. The Act will bring about the de-monopolization of Nigeria’s electricity generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity at the National level and empower states, companies, and individuals to generate, transmit and distribute electricity. The Electricity Act was first passed in July 2022 under the Muhammadu Buhari administration. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assented to the Electricity Act 2023 which was initially passed by lawmakers in July 2022. The Electricity Act will replace the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005. It provides a framework to guide the post-privatization phase of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) as well as encourage private sector investments in the sector. Highlighted below are some of the functions the Electricity Act seeks to guide- State electricity empowerment The de-monopolization o

  Trained in UK, China, how Tinubu's ADC rose through the ranks  As part of his preparation for the May 29 inauguration, the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has appointed Lieut. Col. Nurudeen Alowonle Yusuf as his Aide-de-Camp designate. Barring any last-minute twist, this writer can authoritatively confirm the appointment of Yusuf by Tinubu and he’s expected to resume official duties on Monday, May 1, 2023. Yusuf is not a stranger to the Aso Rock vicinity, having previously served in sensitive roles in the Presidential Villa during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan. This indicates that the ADC-designate is bringing to the job his experience in intelligence and VIP protocol and protection. So, it’s less surprising that the president-elect sought the permission of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, to have the senior military officer work with him as he prepares to take over the mantle from President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29. How Yusuf rose through Nigeria

The Lagos State Government has launched a probe into the collapse of a seven-storey building under construction on Banana Island, Ikoyi, following a directive by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, made the position known in a statement on Thursday. Omotoso said nobody died in the incident, which occurred on Wednesday as at the time of the report, adding that 25 people were rescued from the site, which the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency scanned with a high-precision 3-D Laser Imagery System for life, and found no evidence of anyone trapped in the rubble. A roll call has also been done by the site supervisors, with everyone accounted for. Omotoso said LASEMA has continued with the excavation of the site, using the architectural designs. He said the site has been divided into quadrants for a painstaking search and rescue operation, adding that quadrants 2 and 3 have been levelled to ground zero, with the search operation co

  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has told the presidential election petitions tribunal that President-elect Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress won the February 25 election and was validly returned as the winner without needing to get 25 per cent of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). INEC stated this in its reply by its lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud, to the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, before the tribunal. Nigeria’s electoral umpire said the APC candidate met all the legal requirements to be so announced as the winner of the election, arguing that a candidate must not secure 25 per cent votes in the FCT to be declared winner because the FCT was not accorded any special status in the constitution as being “erroneously” portrayed by some political parties and candidates who lost the election. On why it returned Tinubu as the winner, INEC said the APC candidate scored 25 per cen

  The United Kingdom (UK) government has tendered an apology to the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Labour Party in the just-concluded 2023 elections, Peter Obi, over his illegal detention and poor treatment at Heathrow Airport in London last week. The apology was tendered after it a British immigration official admitted he wrongly handed Mr. Obi a detention note in a search of man who impersonated him to commit perjury, forgery and identity theft in the country. British authorities said the uncomplimentary treatment meted out to the former Governor of Anambra State was “completely unacceptable”. “Frankly, the Immigration Official’s action – has been appalling – and we are sorry,” Immigration authorities apologised. The British High Commission in Abuja, through the head of the media unit, Dean Hurlock, said the mission does not make comment on matters of that nature. Obi was reportedly detained and interrogated for hours by immigration officials at Heathrow Airport in London on