President Bola Ahmed Tinibu has approved the appointment of Folashade Arinola Adekaiyaoja fsi+, fdc, as Deputy Director General for the Service.
The approval, the first by any president, has drawn
commendation from a large section of serving and retired DSS officers who see
the move as aimed at restoring
professionalism to the Service.
The presidential approval, it was gathered, seeks to revise
the agency’s structure for better efficiency, in line with the original
onanogram of the service.
Checks revealed that the DSS is structured to comprise three
Deputy Directors General in its hierarchy.
Hamzat; Naomi Silekunola, ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife; and
Fasasi Abdullahi, principal of the Islamic High School, Basorun, Ibadan; were
each granted bail on Monday in the sum of N10 million and two sureties in like
sum.
The trio are standing trial for their alleged roles in a
stampede at a funfair in Ibadan in December, which claimed the lives of over 30
people, most of them children.
In a video posted via X on Tuesday, Hamzat was seen
surrounded by a group of people, whom he tersely addressed as they jubilated
over his release.
The committee grilled Clement Oladele, an assistant corps
marshal in the FRSC, when he appeared before it to defend the agency’s 2025
budget.
During the session, Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the
federal capital territory (FCT), while pointing out the “discrepancy”,
expressed her dismay over the situation.
“You said your revenue for 2024 is N5.2 billion, but you
just said you remitted N1.9 billion. So I don’t understand. I am confused,” he
said.
Operatives of the Benue State Police Command have uncovered two gun manufacturing factories in Guma and Kwande local government areas of the state.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Tuesday by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Steve Yabanet.
The CP noted that through credible information about criminals manufacturing arms at Mbaafa, Adikpo, Kwande LGA, detectives were deployed to the areas for investigation.
According to him, on January 11, police stormed a gun factory at Mbaafa and arrested one Friday Aduduakamve and Iorwashima Iornyume, aka AK-35.
President Bola Tinubu has extended palliative support to Student Union Government (SUG) Presidents across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The distribution of rice, facilitated by the Special Adviser on Students Engagement, Asefon Sunday, took place in Abuja.
During the event, Asefon explained that the initiative was part of the President’s ongoing efforts to support students and their communities. He recalled a similar gesture in December 2024, when student leaders received palliative support during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Mojisola Meranda, the newly elected speaker of the Lagos state assembly, has met with the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Her predecessor, Mudashiru Obasa, was removed from office on
January 13 following allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of power.
Meranda, who had served as deputy speaker under Obasa, was
elected to replace him.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Meranda said the meeting
with GAC was to provide an update on the assembly’s recent developments and
seek the council’s approval.
Salome Adaidu, the lady allegedly murdered by a gospel singer identified as Timileyin Ajayi, has been laid to rest.
Ajayi was arrested in Nasarawa after he was allegedly caught
with the severed head of his girlfriend Adaidu in a polythene bag.
The incident occurred on Sunday in Agwan Sarki, Orozo, near
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The suspect’s arrest was facilitated by an intelligence
tip-off, leading security agents to an uncompleted building in the area.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday, declared that the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Umar Damagum, is occupying the seat illegally.
Ologbondiyan made the remark against the backdrop of
external forces trying to destroy the PDP.
Featuring on Arise TV’s Morning Show, the former National
Publicity Secretary of PDP said there are attempts to make the party an arm of
the All Progressives Congress, APC.
He pointed out that Damagum is from the Northeast, and the
Northcentral wants the position of National Chairman to return to the region.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen has said the priority of the House is to ensure the passage of the Appropriation Bill and the Tax Reform Bills.
The Deputy Speaker, Ben Kalu, while delivering a speech on the resumption of the House from the Christmas and new year recess on behalf of Abbas said both bills are pivotal to economic recovery and fiscal stability.
He said: “The legislative agenda of the House for 2025 prioritises the passage of the Appropriation Bill and the Tax Reform Bills, both of which are pivotal to economic recovery and fiscal stability.
“These reforms are essential for broadening the tax base, improving compliance and reducing dependency on external borrowing.
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, said the service collected N6.1 trillion in revenue in 2024, a 90.4 percent increase from N3.2 trillion recorded in 2023.
C.G Adeniyi, disclosed this in a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Adeniyi noted that the service surpassed its 2024 revenue target of N5.07 trillion by 22 percent.
According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service recorded the highest revenue collection in October, when it collected N603 billion.
The senate has confirmed nominees of President Bola Tinubu
for the newly established North West Development Commission (NWDC) and South
East Development Commission (SEDC).
The upper legislative chamber confirmed the nominees after
Orji Uzor Kalu, chair of the senate’s ad hoc committee on the regional
developments, presented a report on Tuesday.
The senator representing Abia north said the nominees met
all the necessary requirements to hold public office during their screening.
The senate confirmed 14 nominees of the north-west
commission and 18 for the south-east commission.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has threatened to sue Amnesty International if a report on the #EndBadGovernance protest is not retracted within seven days.
In November 2024, Amnesty published a report titled: ‘Bloody
August: Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests’.
In the report, the organisation said at least 24 protesters
were killed.
The global human rights organisation said 1,200 protesters
were arrested during the marches.
Some vulnerable FCT residents including scavengers, beggars, petty traders, among others, have sued the Minister, Nyesom Wike, demanding N500 million in damages over alleged breach of their fundamental human rights.
A legal practitioner, Abba Hikima, filed the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1749/3024 before Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court in Abuja on behalf of the vulnerable residents.
Hikima, listed as the applicant in the originating motion dated November 19, 2024, but filed November 20, 2024, said he is suing in public interest for the protection of vulnerable citizens in Nigeria.
The applicant dragged Minister of FCT, Wike; the Inspector-General of Police, Director-General, Department of State Services, DSS, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to court as 1st to 4th respondents.
Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kola Ologbodiyan, has said that the involvement of Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister, in the governance of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has created room for the collapse of the PDP.
Ologbodiyan claimed that there are attempts to reduce the Peoples Democratic Party to a branch or an arm of the All Progressives Congress.
The statement comes amid the ongoing leadership crisis in the PDP.
He made this statement while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme on Tuesday.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, says the governor has no hand in the impeachment of the immediate past Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.
Akosile refuted viral rumour that Sanwo-Olu was responsible for the removal of Obasa, over a rumoured rift between the legislative arm and Sanwo-Olu.
Akosile made the clarification on Tuesday in Lagos, saying, “No, no, no. There is absolutely nothing true about that. I mean, no, the Governor does not have a hand in it. It was purely a legislative matter.
“The Governor is busy with serious matters, busy with taking care of the over 20 million Lagos population.
“What happened in the Hallowed Chamber of the House of Assembly was purely the prerogative of the legislators.
