TheNewsGuru

Tag: Minister

  • Buhari in competent hands, no cause for alarm – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, again on Wednesday assured Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm over the state of health of President Muhammadu Buhari who is currently in London, the United Kingdom for medical follow-up.

    He said the President was in competent hands in the British capital.

    Mohammed gave the assurance State House correspondents a meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.

    “On the issue of the President’s health, Mr. President is in very competent hands and there is no cause for alarm,” the minister said while responding to a question on the current health status of the President.

    The minister also gave an indication that the Presidency may not sign the 2017 Appropriation Bill recently passed by the National Assembly anytime soon.

    He said Ministries, Departments and Agencies were still busy scrutinising the document forwarded by the Federal lawmakers.

    “On the issue of budget, Ministries, Departments and Agencies are still going through their budgets and they are coordinating with the Minister of Budget and National Planning,” he simply said.

    Buhari left Nigeria for the United Kingdom on May 7 for a follow-up consultation with his doctors.

    His wife, Aisha, on Tuesday, left the country to join him in London.

    According to a statement by her spokesperson, Bisi Olumide-Ajayi, the President’s wife thanked Nigerians who have been praying for her husband.

    The statement read, “The wife of the President, Her Excellency, Mrs. Aisha Buhari today (Tuesday) left for the United Kingdom.

    “Her Excellency will spend some time with her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is presently on medical vacation.

    “She expressed her appreciation to the millions of Nigerians who have been praying for his quick and safe return.”

    Mrs. Buhari’s journey came three weeks after her husband embarked on his latest medical vacation.

  • Nigeria more secure under Buhari – Minister

    The Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mansur Dan-Ali has said the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration is committed to the safety of lives and property in the country.

    Dan-Ali disclosed this to newsmen on Friday in Minna during the wedding ceremony of the daughter of former president Ibrahim Babangida, Halima.

    “Nigeria is secure because the Federal Government is doing everything possible to secure lives and property in the country.

    “We are winning the war against insecurity because government is working with all Nigerians,’’ he said.

    The minister said that the kind of people who attended the marriage were an indication that the country was secured.

    “When you look at the people gathered here today, Nigerians and non-Nigerians that travelled from outside and within the country to rejoice with the family you will conclude that there is peace.

    “If the country is not secured you will not see this kind of people from all works of lives here,’’ he said.

    On the issue of insurgency in the North East, he said “we are doing our best to eliminate insurgency in the North East.

    “So far so good we are tackling all security issues in the country and not only insurgency in the North East,’’ Dan-Ali said.

     

  • Alleged N852bn scam: Fayemi has no moral standing to be Minister – Ekiti Assembly

    …orders Gov. Fayose to set up Judicial Panel to probe his administration

    Sequel to the alleged discrepancies in the finances of the Ekiti State under the immediate past Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, the State House of Assembly on Thursday said the former governor has no moral standing to remain as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The House therefore ordered the executive governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose to set up Judicial or Administrative Panel to probe the administration of Fayemi as governor of the state.

    The Assembly said the step became imperative sequel to Fayemi’s refusal to appear before the House to shed light on the alleged diversion of N852 billion Universal Basic Education Board’s fund during his time.

    Relying on Section 129 0f the 1999 constitution, the Assembly had on March 22, 2016 and 7th February, 2017 ordered Fayemi to appear before it and clear his name over the foregoing allegation and many other misappropriation allegedly perpetrated during his time.

    Fayemi, however refused to appear and the former governor later approached the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti and slammed N500 million libel suit on the Assembly , citing alleged defamation of character to justify his action.

    The House as its plenary on Thursday, presided over by the Speaker, Hon Kola Oluwawole, berated Fayemi for treating the Assembly with contempt, saying this was not expected of him as a former Governor of Ekiti State.

    After exhaustive deliberation, where Hons Samuel Omotoso, Abiola Jeje, and Ekundayo Akinleye had contributed on the need to compel the Executive to compose the panel to probe Fayemi, the Majority Leader, Hon Tunji Akinyele moved the motion for the adoption of the motion and it was seconded by Hon Jeje.

    Before putting the motion to a voice vote, the Speaker said: “Dr John Kayode Fayemi has slighted this house by his conduct by refusing to honour our invitation. This Assembly duly invited him to come and explain how he managed the finances of this state , particularly the SUBEN fund and other projects.

    “The House had summoned him three times, but he disobeyed the regulation of this house. So, the State government should as a matter of urgency set up a judicial or administrative panel of inquiry to look into the finances of this State under Fayemi’s government”, he said.

    The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon Omotoso slammed the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris and other security agencies over their lukewarm dispositions to arrest Fayemi despite the valid warrant of arrest issued by the Assembly against him.

    “The IGP Can’t claim that Governor Fayemi is at large. He has been attending the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting and nobody even called him for questioning or thought of arresting him. That was unfortunate.

    “Let me at this time call on the Acting President , Prof Yemi Osinbajo that Fayemi has no moral standing to be a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , having breached the1999 constitution by his refusal to honour us. If we fail to act now, then the country will be operating a banana republic where there re no rules”, he said.

    Honourables Jeje and Akinleye , in their submissions said the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Ayodeji Daramola to live up to expectation in composing the judicial panel to unravel the mystery behind the state’s finances under the immediate past administration.

  • It took US 10yrs to find Osama, hunt for Chibok girls might last same – Minister

    The Minister of Defence, Brig. Gen. Munir Dan-Ali,has said just as it took the United States close to about 10 years to find and finally kill world renowned terrorist, Osama Bin Ladin, finding the remaining 195 Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram from their school in 2014 might also take longer years.

    Dan-Ali said this in an interview he granted the Hausa Service of the Voice of America monitored in Abuja on Tuesday.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that the Boko Haram terrorists abducted 276 school girls from Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State on April 14, 2014.

    However, while about 81 of the girls have been freed, 195 of them are still in the terrorist den.

    In a strategic way of pressing home their demands for the release of the remaining girls, the concerned parents have vowed to continue marching daily to the Presidential Villa,Abuja, until they are granted audience by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The parents, who were again refused access to the State House on Tuesday, claimed they had become the president’s enemies after voting him into power.

    Dan-Ali said the military had been pushing hard into areas where remnants of Boko Haram fighters are hiding within Sambisa forest, a vast area covering parts of three states in the North-East.

    He was quoted as saying it took America a long time before it found Osama Bin Laden who was the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorists’ attacks in the United States.

    Dan-Ali was quoted as saying, “It took America eight up to 10 years before it found Osama Bin Laden.”

    Observers are of the view that, in spite of the many military victories over the terrorists, the inability to locate and free the remaining girls remains a sore point.

    The kidnapped girls’ parents led by Rev. Enoch Mark, whose two daughters are among the missing ones, complained about the Presidency’s approach to the issue.

    He said, “We are very sorry for giving Mr. President our votes. We voted Mr. President hoping he would rescue our daughters but we have become his enemies.

    “Why can’t the president communicate with us, are we not Nigerians? Is that good for a president; a leader, to show such attitude. We believe the president is against the Chibok Community.”

    Citing the plane crash incident in Malaysia, the cleric said the government of the Asian country consistently maintained links with the families of the victims during the tragedy and wondered why the Federal Government failed to empathise with the parents of the missing girls.

    Mark questioned the capability of the government to rescue the girls, claiming that it was not involved in the rescue of the girls that were found.

    “If our military are not capable of rescuing our children, that means any country can come in, fight and defeat Nigeria. It is sad that our president overlooked the military intelligence and told us he doesn’t know the whereabouts of our girls, it is very shameful,” he said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) convener, Oby Ezekwesili also slammed the Federal Government over its refusal to find the remaining 195 girls maintaining that the war against insurgency is far from over until the remaining girls are safely delivered to their families.

  • I want to be remembered as a red beret-wearing minister – Dalung

    I want to be remembered as a red beret-wearing minister – Dalung

    Minister of Sports and Youths Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has said he even if he achieves nothing in his tenure, he wants Nigerians to remember him as a beret-wearing man.

    The Minister said this during Stakeholders Forum for the Guidelines for the conduct of elections into the boards of the National Sports Federations, NSF.

    He said, “If I remain a minister, even if I do not achieve anything, I want to be remembered as the man who used to wear his red beret.

    “Even if as they say, I know nothing in sports, I want to be remembered as the man who insisted that the norms of democracy were respected in the conduct of the elections.”

     

     

  • No earthquake at MMIA – Minister

    No earthquake at MMIA – Minister

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, has explained that the vibration experienced on Sunday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos was not in any way a structural issue.

    Sirika told newsmen in Lagos that the vibration was as a result of unlatched doors where the coolers which had just been put into use at the foremost airport were housed.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister flew in from Abuja over allegations that there were massive vibrations that had affected the structural integrity of the airport.

    He described such reports as erroneous and misleading.

    Sirika said :”Well, first and foremost, it is wrong and erroneous to say that the structure of the Murtala Muhammed Airport is failing and there was earthquake as reported by some sections of the media.

    “It is not so .What happened is that there was vibration at the air handling room of the cooling system.

    “This door is a huge metal door that needs to be locked properly; it was locked, but it wasn’t latched properly.”

    According to the minister, that gave rise to the vibration because there were moving parts, motors, fans and other things that were activated to function and create the necessary cooling system.

    “That door responded to the vibration, and because it wasn’t latched, it was vibrating and that vibration was directly under the counter of Royal Air Maroc, and they assumed the structure was vibrating to the point of collapse.

    “Once our men were alerted, they went promptly, identified the problem which was the door, and latched the door, and since then, there has been quiet, so it’s not true,” he said.

    The minister said that the engineering department was working on the chillers too and would soon make the airport more comfortable for users.

    He also spoke on the issue of the power outage that was reported.

    “Indeed there was power outage at the airport; however, we have dedicated generators to certain areas of the airport and those generators were working at the time we lost the power.

    “The airfield lighting,, taxiways were all working perfectly and most parts of the operational aspects of the airport, including the checking-in counter, were working perfectly.

    “The terminal building where passengers found themselves was affected, but the outage did not get to the critical safety operations of the airport, and even that, it took us a couple of minutes to identify the problem and we went for it.

    “The generators that would power that unit had surges and destroyed part of the activation system of the generators and took time to restore but it has been restored now and since then everything has been working normally,” he said.

    According to him, the government is working hard to provide other alternate sources that would be able to mitigate the impact of such surges in the future.

     

  • Alleged N1.1bn fraud: Court sends former FCT Minister’s son to Kuje prison

    Alleged N1.1bn fraud: Court sends former FCT Minister’s son to Kuje prison

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded the son of former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mallam Bala Mohammed, Shamsudeen Bala Mohammed in Kuje Prison over involvement in an alleged N1.1bn fraud.

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, on Wednesday ordered that the Minister’s son, who is currently standing trial for alleged fraud be remanded in Kuje prison till Friday.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Shamsudeen was arraigned before the justice Dimgba-led court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on 15 counts involving alleged N1.1bn fraud.

    The EFCC had charged Shamsudeen alongside four other companies, namely: Bird Trust Argo Limited, Intertrans Global Logistics Limited, Diakin Telecommunications Limited and Bal-Vac Mining Nigeria Limited.

    The anti-graft agency alleged that Shamsudeen carried out business transactions worth billions of naira in violation of Money Laundering Act, adding that he paid various cash sums of money beyond the limit set by the Money Laundering Act for purchase of houses without going through a financial institution.

    The EFCC also accused the defendant of failing to declare his assets when he completed the EFCC Asset Declaration Form A.

    However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him.

    Shortly after his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Ben Ikani, applied for the defendant to be remanded in prison.

    Reacting swiftly to Ikani’s application, the defence lawyer, Chris Uche, SAN, informed the court that he had on January 27 filed an application for his client’s bail.

    The judge, however upheld the application of prosecution counsel and ordered Shamsudeen to be remanded in prison till Friday when ruling on his bail application would be delivered.

  • Niyonkuru, Burundi’s Minister of Water and Environment assassinated

    Niyonkuru, Burundi’s Minister of Water and Environment assassinated

     

    Burundi’s minister of water and environment, Mr Emmanuel Niyonkuru has been assassinated, continuing the cycle of violence in the tiny African country.

    The country’s police confirmed the death of the 54 year-old cabinet member of the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza. He was appointed minister after a long time in banking in August 2015.

    At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since unrest began in April 2015.

    Niyonkuru was shot dead in the capital Bujumbura early on Sunday, police said, the first assassination of its kind since the country was plunged into political turmoil.

    He was killed shortly after midnight, according to a tweet sent by police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye.

    The murder, the first of a serving government minister since Burundi sank into turmoil over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial bid for a third term , came after months of relative calm.

    “Minister of water and environment killed by a criminal with a gun on his way home to Rohero, around 00:45,” Nkurikiye wrote four hours after the incident.

    He added that a woman had been arrested following the “assassination”.

    Also on Twitter, Nkurunziza offered his condolences “to the family and all Burundians” vowing the crime would be punished.

    Niyonkuru was born on 20 July 1962 in Gashingwa in the province of Muramvya. He attended the University of Burundi from 1987 to 1991 in the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences.

    He was elected Senator of the electoral district of Muramvya for the 2015-2020 term.

    From 2 January 1992 to 24 August 2015, Niyonkuru was deputy director of the Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB).

    Until his appointment as minister, he was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of the Republic of Burundi and a member of the National Committee for Development and Implementation of the Development Plan. Financial Market in Burundi.

  • FG tackling recession with available resources – Minister

    The Minister of Defence, retired Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali, says the Federal Government is responding to the economic recession through the use of all available resources in the country.

    Dan-Ali made the assertion at the inauguration of the 207 Quick Response Group of the Nigerian Air force (NAF) in Gusau on Friday.

    The minister said government was prepared to use resources from any part of the country.

    He also said that government was committed to deploying resources toward the productive sector to revive the nation’s economy and reduce unemployment.

    Dan-Ali assured of the federal government’s commitment toward the capacity building of the armed forces.

    According to him, it is in the light of this that nine additional Air Force units were established across the country.

    He said that the new Airforce bases were located in Owerri, Ekiti, Katsina, Bauchi, Jos, Ilesha, Yola and Zamfara, and with the headquarters in Bauchi.

    Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadiq, said the establishment of the additional air force bases was due to the increasing security challenges not only in Zamfara but the nation as a whole.

    He said the Nigerian army had been doing everything possible to put the situation under control.

    Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara said the event was coming at the right time when bandits and other security challenges were facing not only the state but the entire region.

    He commended the federal government’s efforts to restore peace to the region and assured of the state government’s commitment toward providing the necessary support.

  • Former minister, Kuforiji-Olubi is dead

    Former minister, Kuforiji-Olubi is dead

    A former minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Bola Kuforiji-Olubi, 80 is dead.

    She was said to have died, Saturday morning in Lagos.

    Anonymous sources say she died at 11:30am.

    The banker, recently visited President Muhammadu Buhari to thank him for his contribution to her success. She said that it was Buhari as a military Head of State that appointed her the first female Chairman of United Bank for Africa.

    She said, “Having turned 80, I looked at my life and made a list of those who contributed to what I have become in my life and the name of President Muhammadu Buhari came topmost on the list.

    “This is why I am here to pay my respect and thank him,” she said.

    Dr. Olubi was born September 28, 1936. The former ICAN president graduated from the University of London in 1963. She was appointed the first female chairman of the United Bank for Africa, UBA in 1984.