Nigeria

Nigeria: Buhari’s Scandalous Recall of NHIS Boss
Corruption, Nigeria

Nigeria: Buhari’s Scandalous Recall of NHIS Boss

IN a baffling move, President Muhammadu Buhari demonstrated clannishness and lack of respect for procedure once more by reinstating the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Usman Yusuf. Yusuf was suspended in July 2017 following serious allegations of corruption reported to the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, and is being investigated by both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. The premature recall sits uneasily with Buhari’s commitment to openness and transparency. Yusuf, who was appointed in 2016, allegedly cornered N919 million, being part of the contributions of the subscribers to the scheme. He claimed that some of the amount was expended on the training of the NHIS staf...
Nigeria: Herdsmen Enjoying Support of Highly Placed Nigerians – Benue State Govt.
Africa, Fulani Herdsmen, Nigeria, Security, Terrorism

Nigeria: Herdsmen Enjoying Support of Highly Placed Nigerians – Benue State Govt.

Piqued by statements credited to top government functionaries over the Benue killings, the state government has insisted that the rampaging killer herdsmen attacking various communities in the state are enjoying the backing and support of highly-placed Nigerians. Addressing reporters yesterday in Makurdi, over the call by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for a repeal of Benue State’s anti-open grazing law which the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, had claimed was responsible for the killings, Benue State Commissioner of Information and Orientation, Lawrence Onoja, Jnr alleged that such remarks were clear indications that highly-placed Nigerians were fueling the killings. Onoja, who recounted the over 46 times Benue communities came under the attack of suspected her...
Nigeria: Nigeria: Herdsmen Attack, Sack Gov. Ortom’s Farmhouse
Africa, Fulani Herdsmen, Nigeria, Terrorism

Nigeria: Nigeria: Herdsmen Attack, Sack Gov. Ortom’s Farmhouse

Suspected herdsmen, yesterday, attacked Waku village and a part of Gbajimba town, all in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, killing two persons, and destroying Governor Samuel Ortom’s farm house in fresh attacks in the area. The latest attack came less than 24 hours after Yogbo, another community in the same local government area, also came under heavy attack by suspected herdsmen which left six persons dead and several property and farmlands destroyed. However, the attack on Yogbo was repelled by the Police, who chased the invaders out of the community. Confirming the latest attack at the State Police Command Headquarters, the Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni and Chairman of Guma Local Government Area, Mr. Anthony Shawon, said the herdsmen, who were backed by militant g...
Nigeria: Metuh appears in court on a stretcher
Africa, Breaking News, Nigeria

Nigeria: Metuh appears in court on a stretcher

A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, was on Monday produced on a stretcher before the Federal High Court in Abuja for his ongoing trial in respect of the N400m he allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014. The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, had to adjourn the matter due to the condition of the defendant. After the matter was adjourned, Metuh was taken to an ambulance of the National Hospital, Abuja, waiting outside the courtroom. He was driven off in the ambulance with number plate, 44Q 20FG, at about 10:27am on Monday. The case was adjourned till March 14. As published by Punchng
Opinion: Ojukwu Was a Prophet – Femi Adesina
News, Nigeria

Opinion: Ojukwu Was a Prophet – Femi Adesina

I tell you, Ojukwu was a prophet, and like most prophets, he had no honour in his own country. In December 2009, I was at Aburi, while holidaying in Ghana. We Nigerians call it A-b-u-r-i, but the Ghanaians pronounce it as E-b-r-i. For those who have read widely about the civil war that we fought between 1967 and 1970, Aburi is a significant place. This was what I wrote about Aburi, after returning from that journey: “Aburi. Beautiful, serene Aburi, set daintily atop a hill. It is home to a botanical garden that is 119 years old. But for us in Nigeria, Aburi goes beyond just nature and its preservation. It is the town where General Yakubu Gowon and Odumegwu Ojukwu met, to try and avert the Nigerian Civil War that lasted between 1967 and 1970. They came out with Aburi Accord, which lat...
Nigeria: Nigeria’s Dawn is About to Break, We Will Turn Things Around – Buhari
News, Nigeria

Nigeria: Nigeria’s Dawn is About to Break, We Will Turn Things Around – Buhari

According to President Muhammadu Buhari, times may be hard in Nigeria, but the country’s dawn is about to break. Buhari also said that the change his administration promised would not be easy to attain, but it would be achieved eventually. The president, represented by his political adviser, Senator Femi Ojudu, made the comments on Thursday, August 18, 2016, during the South West Conference of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ibadan, Oyo State. “You all may well know, the darkest part of the night is the period before dawn. Nigeria’s dawn is about to break. We are determined to turn things around,” Buhari said. “Change is not easy, but we are not relenting until we achieve a better life for all Nigerians. The change we advocate will be irrevocable when we are finally done...