BREAKING NEWS

The National Economic Council, chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday accused a former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, of spending $2.1bn from the Excess Crude Account without authorisation. “We looked at the numbers for the Excess Crude Account. The last time the former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, reported to the council, and it is in the minutes, she reported by November 2014 that we had $4.1 bn. “Today, the Accountant-General Office reported we have $2.0bn. Which means the honourable minister spent $2.1bn without authority of the NEC and that money was not distributed to states, it was not paid to the three tiers of government,” Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole told State House correspondents after the NEC’s 58th meeting in Abuja.

NIGERIANS that have expressed surprise that each senator receives N506,600 per annum as wardrobe allowance may be in for a shocker as the lawmakers receive far more allowances under different other categories. In all, the allowance each senator receives is nine times more than his annual salary. A senator’s salary is pegged at N2,026,400 per annum. Each senator or a member of the House of Representatives is entitled to 19 different allowances. These allowances are for vehicle maintenance and fuelling; domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, personal assistant, constituency, wardrobe, house maintenance, newspapers, recess, accommodation, furniture, severance, tour duty, estacode, special assistant, security, legislative aide and medical. These allowances are specified in the Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders prepared by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission. On an annual basis, the 107 senators receive...

Many state governors will at their meeting on Tuesday(today) with President Muhammadu Buhari demand the refund of billions of naira they spent on Federal Government projects in their respective states during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. A greater chunk of the money went into the rehabilitation of federal roads in the states. For instance, 11 out of the   36 states of the federation will be demanding the refund of N300.5bn from Buhari. Following their inability to pay their workers’ salaries, many states said a bailout from the Federal Government was the only option available to them. The Nigeria Labour Congress had in May said that 18 states had not paid salaries of their workers. The Nigerian Governors’ Forum, at its meeting on June 18, demanded from Buhari, the refund of money spent by the states on Federal Government projects. The forum argued that doing so was the only option before them since the Federal Government was also not l...

Facts have emerged showing why Senate President Bukola Saraki led a delegation of Senators to meet former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his hilltop mansion, Abeokuta, Ogun state on Friday. A source who was part of the meeting informed PREMIUM TIMES that the Senate President was in Abeokuta to beg Mr. Obasanjo to reconcile him with President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC. Mr. Saraki emerged as the president of the Senate against the decision of APC leaders. He was also elected when most Senators from the APC were at the International Conference Centre waiting to hold a meeting with Mr. Buhari to discuss the election of the Senate president and Speaker of the House of Representatives. We also gathered that Mr. Saraki lamented that although the party leaders have stated that they have accepted his emergence, there was “complete communication breakdown between him, the president and the party”.

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has set up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the immediate past administration of Mr. Rotimi Amaechi over the alleged sale of valued assets belonging to the state. The Judicial Commission of Inquiry, which was inaugurated at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday, has Justice George Omereji as its chairman and four other members. Inaugurating the commission, Wike specifically charged it to investigate the sale of the 150 Megawatts gas turbine in Omoku, Adam 360 MW Gas Turbine, Trans-Amadi 136 MW gas turbine and the 75 MW gas turbine in Eleme. With 23 terms of reference available to the commission, the governor explained that it (commission of inquiry) was expected to investigate the monorail project and the sale of the Olympia Hotel by the Amaechi administration. “In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Section 2 (1) of the Commissions of Inquiry Law of Rivers State (Cap 30 Laws of Rivers State...

President Muhammadu Buhari has admitted that his age would limit his performance as the President of the country. Buhari, who was   a military governor at 33 and Head of State   at the age of 40, said he would have loved being a President when he was at a younger age . He will be 73 on December 17, 2015. The President spoke with Nigerians resident in South Africa on Monday after taking part in the 25th assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union   in Johannesburg. He said, “I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor, just a few years as a young man. Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.”

Michelle Obama met with Prince Harry for tea this morning at Kensington Palace before going to meet UK Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street as part of her two-day visit to Britain.

The US government has pledged to release $5 billion towards the Multi Joint Task Force, a military team drawn from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, with the sole responsibility of fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the Lake Chad region. Making the pledge known at the AU Summit in South Africa today June 15th, the US Assistant Secretary of Bureau of African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the US govt is currently in talks with President Buhari on how best they can support the fight against insurgency in the region

Wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari, on Saturday hosted All Progressives Congress’ women and youths to an elaborate reception at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Hajia Buhari organised the event tagged “Appreciation Dinner” to thank APC stakeholders for working for her husband’s victory in the March 28 presidential election. The large hall inside the Banquet Hall was filled beyond capacity with flamboyantly-dressed women drawn from all states of the federation. The hall was tastefully decorated with the white and blue colours of the APC. The APC Women Leader, Hajia Ramatu Tijani, delivered the welcome address in which she advised that the party leadership must ensure that they deliver on the change they promised Nigerians. She said the dinner was organised to appreciate those who made the change possible by touring all parts of the country to campaign for the party.