PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of 22 individuals into key positions across various federal agencies and commissions, in what is seen as a strategic move to strengthen public institutions and enhance service delivery. Among those appointed are prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts, including former Senate President Ken Nnamani, ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Anyim Pius Anyim, and former Katsina State governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema. Nnamani was named Chairman of the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Anyim will now chair the National Merit Awards Committee, while Shema has been appointed Chairman of…
Author: Abdullahi Maitama Sani
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Ahead of the commencement of the 2027 election campaigns, the All Progressive Governors Forum, on Thursday, announced that they have formally endorsed President Bola Tinubu as their sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election. The Governors made the declaration on Thursday, at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The endorsement was moved by the forum, Hope Uzodinma, chairman of the Forum and Imo State Governor, while the motion was seconded by Governor UBA Sani of Kaduna State. The move is seen as signalling strong unity among the party’s governors in support of Tinubu’s bid…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has officially submitted the 2025 Appropriation Bill for Rivers State to the National Assembly for consideration, following the suspension of the state’s House of Assembly. In a letter addressed to the Senate President, Senator Goodwill Akpabio, the proposed budget totals ₦1.481 trillion, with major allocations aimed at revitalizing key sectors. Infrastructure tops the list with a proposed ₦324 billion, while the health sector is allocated ₦106 billion, including ₦5 billion earmarked for free malaria drugs. The education sector is set to receive ₦75.6 billion while ₦31.4 billion is proposed for agricultural development. The budget, according to the…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has returned to Nigeria following his trip to Rome for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV. He arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Tuesday evening, where he was received by a delegation of senior government officials. Among those who welcomed the President were the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje.
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has arrived in Rome, Italy, to attend the installation of Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Sunday. President Tinubu was received at the Mario De Bernardo Military Airport by Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and officials from Vatican City and the Nigerian Embassy. President Tinubu is in Rome to honour the new Pope’s invitation, conveyed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. See full statement below: PRESIDENT TINUBU ARRIVES ROME President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Rome, Italy, on Saturday to join other world leaders at…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Friday said traditional institutions remain integral to the country’s development and called for more support in implementing policies that directly impact people’s livelihoods. The President spoke when he received the 46th Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Abdulhakeem Owoade I, his wife, Abiwumi, and a delegation of other traditional rulers from Oyo State at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. According to a statement released by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu congratulated the Alaafin for his ascendancy to the historic throne, assuring the royal father of his prayers and support. “It is a great joy for me and…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently holding a closed-door meeting with Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Those attending the meeting include Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. Although the details of the meeting were not clear at as press time, the deliberations might not be unconnected with the resurgence of insecurity in some parts of the country. In…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, on Saturday at the invitation of Pope Leo XIV. In a statement he issued on Thursday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced that President Tinubu will travel with senior Catholic leaders to attend a special Mass marking the beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s tenure as the 267th Bishop of Rome. According to Onanuga, Cardinal Pietro Parolin sent the invitation from Pope Leo XIV, who said the ceremony reflects “a moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Friday defended his administration’s economic reforms, saying he took some decisions to sustain healthy growth for Nigeria. He stated this at the State House in Abuja while receiving a special envoy from the Amir of the State of Qatar, Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi. Tinubu noted that ongoing reforms to streamline Nigeria’s tax system have made it easier for foreign investors to do business in the country. President Bola Tinubu receives Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, a special envoy from the Amir of the State of Qatar, at the State House Abuja on May 9, 2025.…
THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a Nigeria First economic policy targeted at prioritising the use of locally manufactured goods and services in all government procurements. Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said this on Monday after the FEC meeting in Abuja. Mohammed said the policy would soon be backed by an executive order. “This policy means Nigeria comes first in all procurement processes; no foreign goods or devices that are already being produced locally will be procured without a clear and justified reason,” the minister said while briefing correspondents at the State House. “Now this…
THE Presidency has stated that the recent defections of opposition politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were voluntary and not under any form of duress, as has been speculated in some quarters. Denying accusations of a one-party state, the Presidency insisted that democracy is not under threat or undermined “simply because politicians exercise their rights of association.” This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday. “Nigerians migrating to the APC and expressing support for Tinubu are doing so out of their free will,…
THE national economic council (NEC) postponed discussions on creating state police for the third time, blaming time constraints from lengthy presentations at its Thursday meeting. Vice-President Kashim Shettima chaired the council meeting at the State House in Abuja, with state governors attending, including Ibok-Ete Ibas, sole administrator of Rivers. Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), and Yemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), also joined the meeting. Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa, told reporters afterwards that state police appeared on the agenda, but time ran out before they could address it. “For your information,…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed an immediate overhaul of national security strategies, demanding urgent action to end the escalating violence in Borno, Benue, Plateau and Kwara states. This directive was contained in a statement signed on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President, Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, where he condemned the senseless targeting of innocent Nigerians. The President, who met with security chiefs at the State House in Abuja for more than two hours, said the killing of innocent people in Borno, Benue and Plateau States must cease. “Enough is enough,” President Tinubu told his service chiefs during…
PASSENGERS at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, have expressed worry as workers of the Nigeria Meteorology Agency (NiMet) vowed to embark on a nationwide indefinite strike from midnight on Tuesday. The development, according to operators and experts in the sector, could lead to flight disruption across the country should the strike linger. While some passengers are confused about when the strike would begin, many are already jittery about boarding an aircraft. In a letter obtained by this newspaper, the Union of Air Transport Employees, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, and the Amalgamated…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has arrived in Nigeria following his two-week working visit to France and the UK. Tinubu was received by senior officials of his administration when he arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, late Monday. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returns to Abuja after a visit to Paris and London,” presidential aide Dada Olusegun wrote in a post on his X handle. Some of the officials who were at the airport to welcome Tinubu included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume; the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu paid a heartfelt tribute to Pope Francis, joining Catholics and Christians around the world in mourning his passing. In an emotional statement, President Tinubu described the pontiff as “a humble servant of God” and “a tireless champion of the poor,” highlighting his legacy of compassion, and bridge-building across faiths. The president reflected on the symbolic timing of the Pope’s death—just after Easter—as a sacred return to his Maker and called on Nigerians and the global community to honour the Pope not just in words, but through acts of mercy, justice, and unity. See full statement below:…
THE Presidency has reacted to criticism trailing the absence of President President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the country, saying though outside the shores of the country, he is closely monitoring developments in the country. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said this in a statement he issued on Thursday. Amid killings and widespread kidnap, opposition leaders have asked Tinubu to return home immediately. Both Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who were Tinubu’s keen rivals in the 2023 elections, said the president’s continuous stay overseas was unjustifiable. But Onanuga defended his principal, saying the President “remains…
PRESIDENTIAL aide Daniel Bwala says contrary to social media speculations, President Bola Tinubu is not in France for medical treatment. “Sometimes on social media, somebody will be tweeting, you don’t even know who the person is; it can be somebody who has mental health somewhere. You just see that information is coming out. “The president did not go to see a doctor; he’s on a working visit and we have been publishing his activities,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics monitored by News Point Nigeria. Tinubu left Nigeria on April 2, 2025 for for Paris, France on a short…
AS part of his engagements in Paris, President Bola Tinubu has met with the United States State Department Senior Advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos. Boulos, an American of Lebanese-Nigerian descent, is also US President Donald Trump’s in-law. His son Michael Boulos is married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany. In a Friday post on X, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed the meeting occurred on Thursday. He said the high-level discussions focused on regional security, including working together with partners to build a durable peace in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and economic cooperation across the African…
THE Presidency has apologised for the errors in the list of appointments made by President Bola Tinubu since May 29, 2023. This newspaper reports that the list was to counter the narrative about Tinubu’s alleged lopsided appointments, which was brought to the public by the Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume. In a recent interview with Arise Television, Ndume, an All Progressives Congress lawmaker, accused the President of violating the federal character principle in his appointments, which the presidency denied. To counter the allegation, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, on Wednesday released…