Politics

Nigeria: Dogara Backs Nigeria’s Restructuring
News, Nigeria

Nigeria: Dogara Backs Nigeria’s Restructuring

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and a representative of the Yoruba Unity Forum, Chief Dipo Jemileyin, have called for the restructuring of Nigeria’s federal structure in line with the country’s peculiar circumstances. They spoke during the ongoing 3rd Annual National Summit with the theme, “Reforming the Nigeria Federation Which Way Forward,” organised by Save Democracy Africa in Abuja on Monday. This is even as a former President of Tanzania, Dr. Jakaya Kikwete, expressed his confidence that “Nigeria has what it takes to deal with its internal issues and uphold the promise of the black race.” He also said a deliberate policy by Tanzania’s founding fathers ensured that ethnic tensions which led several African nations to civil war were kept at bay. D...
Nigeria: Wake up to your responsibility, Sultan-led JNI tells Buhari
News, Nigeria

Nigeria: Wake up to your responsibility, Sultan-led JNI tells Buhari

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, has asked the President Muhammadu administration to wake up to its statutory responsibility of protecting lives and property of Nigerians across the country. The wake-up call, according to the Muslim body, became imperative following the killings by suspected herdsmen of villagers in the Bassa LGA, Plateau State. The National Publicity Secretary of the JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, stated this in a statement in Kaduna on Monday. The religious body condemned the attack which left several people dead and over 150 houses destroyed. It cautioned security operatives against taking sides with any warring party in Plateau State and other parts of the country. The JNI also called on ...
Biafra: IPOB and Nnamdi Kanu Vindicated by the ACHPR
Biafra, Justice, News, Nigeria

Biafra: IPOB and Nnamdi Kanu Vindicated by the ACHPR

Says the declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group, the attacks by Federal Government agencies on its members constitute a prima facie violation of the African Charter The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) has stated that the declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group, the attacks by Federal Government agencies on its members constitute a prima facie violation of the African Charter. The position of the commission, based in Banjul, The Gambia, was contained in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari. Dated March 8 and signed by Soyata Maiga, ACHPR Chairperson, the letter was a response to the request from IPOB’s lawyers, Adulbert Legal Services, in favor of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the group, and...
Burundi: President Pierre Nkurunziza Named ‘Eternal Supreme Guide’
Burundi, News

Burundi: President Pierre Nkurunziza Named ‘Eternal Supreme Guide’

Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza has been named "Eternal Supreme Guide" by his political party. The move means no one in the governing CNDD-FDD is allowed to disagree with his choices, secretary-general Evariste Ndayishimiye said. "He is our leader. Therefore in our party... no one is comparable to him," Mr Ndayishimiye said. "He is our parent, he is the one who advises us. That is why I ask all our members to respect that because a home without the man (its head) can be overlooked by anybody. For us, we have the best." But critics say a cult of personality is developing around 54-year-old Mr Nkurunziza. Jeremy Minani, the leader of the opposition Rally of Burundi Democrats (RDB), told Burundi Radio Publique Africaine: "President Pierre Nkurunziza's naming himself the l...
Boko Haram: Nigeria to Negotiate for Dapchi Schoolgirls’ Release
Boko Haram, Nigeria, Security, Terrorism

Boko Haram: Nigeria to Negotiate for Dapchi Schoolgirls’ Release

The Nigerian government says it will negotiate for the release of 110 abducted schoolgirls rather than use military force. The students were seized last month from their school in the town of Dapchi by the militant group Boko Haram. However, the Nigerian authorities know that sending troops and aircraft in pursuit of the jihadists holding the abducted school girls is an extremely risky strategy. President Muhammadu Buhari said the government had chosen negotiation over the military option and Nigeria was working with international organisations and negotiators to ensure that the girls were released unharmed by their captors. Negotiations have been partially successful before. Dozens of the Chibok school girls were freed in exchange for the release of Boko Haram prisoners. The g...
Nigeria: Buhari Is Not In Charge of Anything – Secondus
Fulani Herdsmen, Justice, Nigeria, Security

Nigeria: Buhari Is Not In Charge of Anything – Secondus

The Peoples Democratic Party, the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights and the National Conscience Party have berated Buhari over the IG’s refusal to relocate to Benue State. The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, said Buhari was not in charge of the All Progressives Congress government. Secondus told one of our correspondents that because the President had been far from the people, the cabal in the Presidency had hijacked him. He said, “Buhari is not in charge of anything. He does not have genuine people around him. “How can a President give a directive and it is ignored? Yet he did not know. How would he know when he surrounds himself with sycophants?” Also, the PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, noted that Buhari’...
Nigeria: IGP Disobeyed Buhari’s Order to Stay In benue
Fulani Herdsmen, Nigeria, Security, Terrorism

Nigeria: IGP Disobeyed Buhari’s Order to Stay In benue

Following President Muhammadu Buhari's declaration on Monday that he was not aware that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, ignored his instruction to relocate to Benue State during the crisis in the state, it is clear that the IGP disobeyed a direct order from his commander in chief. President Buhari made public his ignorance of the action of the IGP at a meeting with stakeholders in Makurdi, during his visit to Benue State. Shortly after 73 persons were killed in January following clashes between farmers and herdsmen, Buhari had asked Idris to relocate to Benue. But during the meeting with stakeholders, Buhari was told that Idris did not spend up to 24 hours in the state. Buhari, who expressed shock, explained that he did the needful by ordering the IG to relocate...
Nigeria: Ogbeh’s Claim on Rice False, Says Thailand Ambassador
Agriculture, Economy, News, Nigeria

Nigeria: Ogbeh’s Claim on Rice False, Says Thailand Ambassador

Ambassador of Thailand to Nigeria, Wattana Kunwongse, has denied the claim by Chief Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture, that rice mills are collapsing in the Asian country. On Friday, Ogbeh had claimed that Thailand said President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy on local rice sufficiency was responsible for the collapse of seven of its mills. He said: “Just like two weeks ago, the ambassador of Thailand came to my office and said to me that we have really dealt with them. “But I asked what did we do wrong and he said unemployment in Thailand was one of the lowest in the world, 1.2 per cent, it has gone up to four percent because seven giant rice mills have shut down because Nigeria’s import has fallen by 95 per cent on rice alone.” TheCable fact-checked the minister’s claims and fou...
Nigeria: The Salary of a Senator is About N750, 000.00 Per Month – Shehu Sani
Nigeria

Nigeria: The Salary of a Senator is About N750, 000.00 Per Month – Shehu Sani

Senator Shehu Sani has come out in a recent interview to state that a Senator's salary in a month is about N750,000.00. It's however not clear if this is the basic salary or inclusive of allowances. A lot of Nigerians have been speaking out on the huge costs of running the senate. Senator explains these expenses in this interview with TheNews Magazine. He explained that every senator gets about 13.5 million monthly for running  the office, N750,000.00 as personal salary and N200 million as constituency fund. Here is his explanation: "What I am saying is that that money (N13.5 million per month) must be receipted for what you do with it. But what you are given to go and spend without any accountability is N750,000.00. “The constituency project itself is given on a zonal basis an...
Biafra: IPOB Threatens to Disrupt Ohanaeze’s Meetings on Restructuring
Biafra, Nigeria

Biafra: IPOB Threatens to Disrupt Ohanaeze’s Meetings on Restructuring

DESPITE its apology and regrets for disrupting the Eastern Consultative Assembly, ECA, meeting of Igbo leaders in Enugu recently, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, has threatened to disrupt any meeting of Ohanaeze Ndigbo meant to discuss restructuring of Nigeria, or 2019 election, as it insists that Biafra is non-negotiable. IPOB in a statement yesterday, blasted Ohanaeze Ndigbo for sabotage, warning that any meeting organised by Igbo leaders on restructuring and one Nigeria will be disrupted. This is as another pro-Biafra group, Coalition of Biafra Restoration Citizens, declared that its members would actively participate in 2019 election to elect people, who genuinely have the interest of Ndigbo at heart, irrespective of their political affiliations. The group blamed the marg...