ONE WORD

As the jostle for ministerial list reaches the home stretch, there are strong indications that no fewer than five former governors will feature in the president’s list of nominees that is heading to the Senate for approval between now and next week. The unusual list, already dubbed the ‘cabinet of (political) unity’, will have nominees drawn from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and many technocrats. President Bola Tinubu’s handshake across party lines has already elicited contests and intrigues in political camps over choice of suitable representatives in some of the key states. But there may be enough slots to go round sought-after persons. The Guardian learnt that barring last minute change, the cabinet will be as bloated as what former President Muhammadu Buhari had, but with major realignments in portfolios. The President has less than 20 days left out of the 60 allowed by the Constitution for him to send his list of Ministers to the Senat...

  President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been chosen to lead the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as its next chairman. The choice was made on Sunday in Bissau, the capital of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, at the group’s 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community. Bayo Onanuga, the president’s communications advisor, revealed this in a tweet on his official account on Sunday. The President left the county on Saturday ahead event. The tweet reads: “Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will become the new ECOWAS chairman today, succeeding President Umaro Embalo of Guinea Bissau, who became chairman 4 July 2022, at the 61st summit in Accra. “Tinubu’s leadership will be announced in Bissau today at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).” President Tinubu would be introduced during the current ECOWAS leadership su...

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has called out some Nigerians for supporting Mmesoma against the board. JAMB said that the findings of the Anambra State Government’s Commission of Inquiry vindicated its stance. This was disclosed in a statement made available to journalists by the board’s Acting Director, Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, in Abuja on Saturday. Benjamin said that the report had further reinforced the board’s position that its system is not and cannot be compromised. ” Therefore, we will not despair despite the painful realisation that some Nigerians would do anything to cast aspersions on the good name of the board. ” However, in spite of all the posturing of its detractors, the board remains resolute and uncompromising in its commitment to give Nigeria the best as far as credible and fair assessment is concerned,” he said. Going further, Benjamin said some people desire JAMB’s fall. His words: “For the benefit of those who are still d...

  Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos has given Amazon a 14-day ultimatum to remove the Eyo masquerade from the movie ‘Gangs of Lagos’. The movie, which was directed by Jade Osiberu, was released to the pubic via Amazon’s Prime Video on April 7 ‘Gangs of Lagos’ tells the story of a group of friends forced to navigate the hardship of growing up on the streets of Lagos. The Eyo masquerade, unique to the Lagos neighbourhood of Isale Eko, has drawn criticism from the public for being portrayed in the movie as being worn by a group of murderers. Irate indigenes have also questioned the film’s portrayal of Isale Eko as a den of criminals. As a result, the Isale Eko Descendants Union (IDU) filed a lawsuit against Amazon and the film’s producers. The union is demanding ₦10 billion in damages. The Oba of Lagos, while wading in on the matter said the Eyo was illegally represented in the movie and as such damaged the reputation of the brand. He also alleging that it violated the rights of the indigeno...

Headed by Nkemdili Nnonyelu, a professor, the committee confirmed Miss Mmesoma forged the score of 362 as earlier claimed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. The eight-memner panel set up by Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State to investigate the controversies surrounding the results claimed by a candidate in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Mmesoma Ejikeme, has submitted its report. Headed by Nkemdili Nnonyelu, a professor, the committee confirmed Miss Mmesoma forged the score of 362 as earlier claimed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. According to the report, a copy of which was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the candidate confirmed she single-handedly forged the result before approaching a cyber cafe for printing. The committee’s report is reproduced below. 7th July, 2023 Prof. C.C Soludo, Governor, Anambra State. Mr. Governor, REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON EJIKEME JOY MMESOMA’S JAMB SCORE CONTROVERSY Recall Mr. Governor that with ...

  As the battle for the control of First Bank of Nigeria Holdings Plc intensifies, Oba Otudeko’s Honeywell Group last Thursday bought 4,770,269,843 shares of the firm in a cross deal worth N87.8 billion. These shares which Otudeko bought at N19 per unit are the largest volume of First Bank shares traded in a single day since 2012, when the stock exchange started publishing data. The acquisitions take his shareholding to 14 percent of the bank’s outstanding market value. A “disclosure of shareholding” sent to the Company Secretary, FBN Holdings Plc and dated July 7, 2023, by Honeywell Group Limited stated: “We write on behalf of Barbican Capital Limited, an affiliate of Honeywell Group Limited and refer to the provisions of Sections 119 and 120 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 (as amended). “In addition to the previously disclosed interests by Honeywell Group Limited’s affiliates, kindly take this as notification that, as at 7th July 2023, Barbican Capital Limited has ac...

The Nigerian Government revealed that it plans to recover N553 billion in unremitted taxes owed by international petroleum shipping companies operating in Nigeria. This was disclosed on Wednesday by the Director, of International Tax, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Abdullahi Aliyu during a summit organised by the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS) themed; “Sensitizing the Nigerian Maritime Industry on the New Tax Policy and Objectives”. Aliyu added that said the sum was accrued from 2010 to 2019 and would be beneficial towards increasing government revenue. Deficit and unremitted taxes The FIRS chief noted that with Nigeria’s budget deficit of N11.34 trillion, the N553 billion unremitted taxes represents 5.03 per cent and would be an alternative to addressing Nigeria’s economic woes instead of borrowing. He added that shipping companies involved in dry cargo activities in Nigeria and foreign airlines had been complying with the tax laws that most operators in the oil sector ...