The Nigerian Senate has appointed Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno to replace Ali Ndume as Chief Whip.
The decision was prompted by a formal complaint from the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which was presented during a plenary session chaired by Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio.
The complaint, conveyed in a letter signed by APC’s National Chairman Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and National Secretary Senator Surajudeen Bashir, cited concerns over Ndume’s public statements which were deemed detrimental to national interests.
Specifically, Ndume’s comments in a media interview where he criticized the administration and made allegations against prominent figures within the party were highlighted as reasons for his replacement.
Following the reading of the letter by Senator Akpabio, the Senate conducted a voice vote to confirm Senator Monguno as the new Chief Whip of the Senate.
Category: News
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Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno Named New Senate Chief Whip, Succeeding Ali Ndume
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Court restores Philip Shuaibu as Edo State Deputy Governor
By Vivian Michael, Abuja
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Wednesday, nullified the removal of Phillip Shuaibu as Edo State Deputy Governor.
The court, in a judgement held that Shuaibu’s impeachment and subsequent removal violated the provisions of the law.
Having declared the removal as unlawful, the court subsequently ordered his instatement as deputy governor of the state.
Besides, the court ordered the Inspector General of Police to restore his security details as deputy governor.
Consequently, the Court ordered that his salaries, allowances should be paid to him from April.
Details later.
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BREAKING: Tinubu effectively kicks off student loan scheme in Aso Rock
By Doris Isreal Ijeoma
Following a mild amendment to the Student Loan Scheme, the Federal Government has effectively commenced the programme.
As of the time of filing this brief report, the President, Bola Tinubu is currently inaugurating a presidential committee to drive the Scheme at the State House, Abuja.
To kick start the programme, the President had recently approved ₦35 billion to be disbursed through specific criteria by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFund, targeting 70,000 initial applicants.
Jim Ovia who was appointed by Tinubu to Chair the Governing Board of NELFund had approved the disbursement of loans to successful applicants during its inaugural meeting in Abuja last month.
At the inauguration currently taking place in the Villa, Tinubu is expected to give the implementation team terms of reference to ensure the scheme does not derail from its mandate.
Details later…
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Tinubu mourns Labour Party lawmaker
President Bola Tinubu has commiserated with the National Assembly and the Kaduna State Government over the passing of Honourable Ekene Abubakar Adams, a lawmaker representing Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency of Kaduna State in the House of Representatives.
The President also extended his condolences to the family and friends of the late lawmaker, urging them to find solace in the Almighty and in the legacy of the deceased.
President Tinubu prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed lawmaker and strength to his family.
Ekene died on Tuesday morning after battling an unknown illness.
He was 39 years old.
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No plan to handover Public Varsities to Private Investors, FG
The Federal Government says there is no plan to hand over public universities to private investors.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, made the clarification at the Second Quarterly Engagement of the ministry with Heads of units and chief executive officers of parastatals and agencies under the ministry.
NAN reports that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the federal government of plans to hand over federal universities to investors through public-private partnerships.
”There is no plan to sell off universities to investors,” he said, noting that the policy of the government allowed for transnational education.
According to him, transnational education is a policy on what this government is doing to open up tertiary education by taking people from the rest of the world to come and invest in our tertiary system.
“Some people are carrying information that the federal government is selling off to private investors its universities. This is absolute lie and completely false.
“This government believes in our public institutions. However, as we all know this government has reforms that this country needs.
“The private sector will play a major role in the provision of tertiary education, as there are more private universities in Nigeria than public universities combined.
“What this government has done is to open up the tertiary education level, in particular the universities, for global competitiveness,” he said.
The minister stressed the need to allow those who operate universities at the international level to come into the country and set up institutions either for themselves or in collaboration with our local universities.
He said that this was in no way to sell its institutions, noting that guidelines on transnational education had been in place.
Mamman said the country must take a cue from what is obtainable in other countries so as to benefit from the advantage of transnational education.
“In other parts of the world, like Asia, they have benefited immensely of having international institutions in those countries.
“They have taken standards to those countries and also for the exchange and bringing money to those countries,” he said.
He further said that the engagement with heads of agencies as parastatals was to review the progress, challenges and reaffirmed commitment toward educational landscape of the country.
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190 Nigerians Repatriated From UAE, Land in Abuja Amid Suspension of Travel Ban
The Nigerian government has confirmed the repatriation of 190 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) which made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Zonal Director NEMA North Central, Bashir Idris Garga.
He said the returnees were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 6am on Tuesday by a combined team of government officials led by NEMA.
According to NEMA, “The returnees were profiled and documented by the relevant agencies and sensitised to behave with decorum and responsibility on their return to Nigeria.
“The federal government urges all Nigerians, wherever they may be, to act as exemplary ambassadors of their country, upholding the fundamental values of patriotism, rule of law, decency, and integrity.”
This comes as the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government on Monday announced that the UAE had lifted its visa ban on Nigerians.
The Nigerian government had said it reached an agreement with the UAE that would enable Nigerians to access UAE visas.
They had previously imposed a visa restriction on Nigerian citizens in October 2022. Additionally, the Emirates Airlines had suspended its flight operations to Nigeria in November 2022.
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Elon Musk pledges $45 million a month to electing Trump
By Doris Isreal Ijeoma
Tech billionaire Elon Musk said he plans to commit roughly $45 million each month to a new fund backing Donald Trump for US president, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Musk’s donations will go to a political group dubbed America PAC, which will focus on promoting voter registration, early voting and mail-in ballots among residents in swing states ahead of the November general election, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Musk is one of several major backers of the new fund, with others reportedly including Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, former US ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft and cryptocurrency investors Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.
The Tesla founder formally endorsed Trump’s candidacy for US president on Saturday after the former president survived a shooting at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on the social media platform X, which he acquired in 2022.
Musk, the wealthiest man in the world with an estimated net worth of $250 billion, has grown increasingly friendly with Trump over the course of the 2024 US election.
In March, the two met in person during a donor breakfast hosted at the Florida residence of billionaire Nelson Peltz.
Though individual campaign donations in the United States are capped at $3,300 per person, loopholes in the campaign finance system allow political mega donors to contribute to funds known as political action committees or “PACs,” which support candidates.
Trump previously decried mail and absentee voting, but has backtracked on his criticisms after it became clear Democrats had an edge among mail voters.
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Court dismisses Emefiele’s medical leave application
By Vivian Michael
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Maitama, Tuesday, refused the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele’s request to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
Ruling on the application, Justice Hamza Muazu held that although Emefiele stated he would be away from July 28 to September 10, no medical appointment or invitation was presented to the court.
Muazu hinted that the court had the discretion to grant leave but highlighted that Emefiele is standing trial in three courts, two in the FCT and one in Lagos.
Muazu stated, “The letter of invitation for medical follow-up is not attached. As it stands now, I cannot use my discretion to grant the application, and he is standing trial in three courts.
“The application is hereby dismissed, and the adjourned date for continuation of trial still stands.”
The embattled former CBN boss is charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence, and obtaining money by false pretence during his tenure as the apex bank’s governor.
The anti corruption agency also alleged that Emefiele forged a document titled “Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions” dated January 26, 2023, and purported it to have come from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
According to the prosecution, he was using his office to confer unfair and corrupt advantages on two companies: April 1616 Nigeria Ltd and Architekon Nigeria Ltd.
Emefiele is alleged to have obtained $6,230,000.00 by false pretence on February 8, 2023, claiming it was requested by the SGF for a contingent logistic advance in line with the President’s directive. -
Minimum Wage: NLC threatens one-month shutdown as lawmakers target fresh decision
By Doris Isreal Ijeoma
Ahead of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s planned Thursday meeting with leaders of organized labour, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened a one-month shutdown if the minimum wage is expunged from the Exclusive to Concurrent list in the Constitution by Nigerian lawmakers.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, gave the warning on Monday while addressing participants at the opening ceremony of the 2024 annual Rain School of the NLC in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Ajaero issued this warning against National Assembly members’ proposed decision to remove wages from the Exclusive to Concurrent list in the Constitution.
He added that if National Assembly members proceed with the move to remove the minimum wage from the Exclusive list—a law that would allow each state governor to determine the minimum wage—he would mobilize labor and shut down Nigeria’s economy for a month.
Although the National Assembly’s decision is yet to be made public, Ajaero said, “As we are here, a Joint Committee of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Judiciary are meeting. They have decided to remove section 34 from the Exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list so that the state governors can determine what to pay you and so that there will be no minimum wage again.
“When they finish that meeting, they will collect minimum wage, I promise all of you that. The very moment the House of Representatives and the Senate come up with such a law that will not benefit Nigerian workers, they will be their drivers and gatemen, and there will be no movement for one month.
“Comrades, I am putting you on standby. If that committee comes up with such a policy, for one month nobody should come out. They are the major threat to democracy in this country. Democracy is not all about starving and punishing people. That’s not the democracy we fought for.
“They were not there when we fought for this democracy, and now they are trying to make laws to remove the minimum wage from the exclusive list. So, comrades, as I have talked to you here, I have talked to everybody. We are waiting for them to come up with such hypocritical laws. And from today, let them abolish the security vote,” he said.
The development comes as the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, announced that President Tinubu will meet with organized labor leaders on Thursday to finalize a decision on the country’s minimum wage.
This follows last Thursday’s decision on a harmonized minimum wage, which ended in a deadlock.
Recall that the government had proposed a 62,000 naira minimum wage, while organized labor insisted on 250,000 naira.
The National Minimum Wage Tripartite had earlier submitted the minimum wage proposal to the President.
While the minimum wage impasse persists, Nigerians have continued to groan over hardship occasioned by the rising headline and food inflation, which stood at 34.19 percent and 40.87 percent, respectively, in June 2024.
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Ganduje faces Fresh Charges
By Doris Isreal Ijeoma
The Kano State Government on Tuesday filed fresh charge against former governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje.
In the charge sheet with case No. K/143c/24, the state government accused Ganduje and erstwhile Commissioner for Justice, Musa Lawan, of Criminal Conspiracy, and misappropriation contrary to Section 308 and punishable under Section 309 of the Penal Code (as amended) CAP 105, Vol. 2, the Laws of Kano State of Nigeria.
The offence, the state government said, is contrary punishable under Section 97 and Section 315.
The state government accused Ganduje and Lawan of abuse of office.
In the charge sheet, the state government said it intends to present four witnesses.
No date has been fixed for the arraignment.