Head of Investigations at Premium Times, Nicholas Ibekwe, stirred controversy on social media when he questioned the authenticity of the ethnicity of the newly-appointed Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla. The new head of the Nigerian Navy was born in 1968 in Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State. Based on this fact, there exists no doubt that Rear Admiral Ogalla’s ethnicity is Igbo. Furthermore, his appointment pokes holes in the divisive claims of those contesting, without supporting fact, that his region of the country has been ‘overlooked’ in the ongoing government composition process under…
Author: Albus Dauda
JP Morgan, a respected multinational financial services firm, has endorsed President Tinubu’s naira float with a projection that shows it expects the currency to regain lost value and strengthen against the dollar in the coming months. The projection was contained in a statement released by the financial institution on Thursday. It praised Tinubu’s reform of the country’s monetary policy, adding that his speed of execution has come as a positive surprise. “While it will take a few days for USD/NGN spot to settle, we fully expect an initial overshoot towards the parallel market rate of -750 or higher, after which,…
Abdulrasheed Bawa, the EFCC Chairman, has joined Godwin Emefiele on the suspension and investigation list. His conduct whilst in charge of the country’s foremost anti-corruption agency will now be placed under a microscope with him lacking the cover and protection of his office. The move, long demanded by monitors of the agency who insisted that Bawa had compromised it with sleaze, has increased excitement in the country. More so, it has strengthened popular belief that the new president is not here to window-dress; he intends to weed out and reform. Already, Emefiele’s exit has allowed for reasonable adjustments at the…
Former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, dealt a serious blow to the reputation of the now-suspended EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, when in a BBC Hausa interview, he accused him of demanding a $ 2 million bribe likely to compromise internal operations. Matawalle whose consequential media battle with Bawa failed to result in a lawsuit as many ordinarily expected if the latter was intent on clearing his name, asserted boldly that he had evidence of the bribery demand, including details of the location where the secret meeting was held. He said, “He requested a bribe of $2 million from me,…
President Bola Tinubu has approved the indefinite suspension of Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman of the anti-corruption agency EFCC, official statement says. His suspension is to allow for proper and objective investigations into the “weighty allegations” of abuse and other infractions levelled against him by various individuals and bodies in the past months. He will now hand over the affairs of his office to the Director of Operations in the Commission who has been tasked with interim management pending the outcome of the investigations and a decision on Bawa’s future. His suspension has been identified as part of Tinubu’s ‘de-odorization’ of…
Even though they both promised to do the same thing, Atiku and his former running mate Peter Obi had sought to exploit the initial alarm that greeted President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of the end of Nigeria’s decades-long oil subsidy regime. The desperate opportunism of the duo who lost as a team in 2019 and separately in 2023, was informed by a need to remain in the news cycle and the people’s consciousness. They had reasoned rightly that with Tinubu’s successful swearing-in, despite anti-democratic threats to the contrary, it was only natural for the Nigerian public to deem all election matters…
There was so much talk preceding the election of the presiding officers of the 10th NASS that when it finally happened, the lack of rancour and the clinical but restrained involvement of President Bola Tinubu that characterised it was almost anti-climactic. The opposition needed a reason to talk, they needed drama, they needed some spice, they needed some deep, wounding betrayal so that they could mock someone. But what they got was a united party that got its act together, secured the support of its rivals; and one that conducted its business efficiently. Hence the emergence of Hon. Godswill Akpabio…
Peter Obi has been criticized as a pretentious actor over his Democracy Day speech by June 12 activists who claimed that contrary to his high-minded message vaunting the ideals of democracy, the former Anambra Governor was aligned with anti-democratic forces in the struggle that began in 1993 when MKO Abiola’s popular victory was annulled. They pointed at Obi’s self-admitted appointment to the ports during Abacha’s military dictatorship, a post that revealed him as a senior disciple of an undemocratic government responsible for the killing and disappearance of several activists, journalists, students and other groups agitating for the return to popular…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s speech marking Democracy Day has been praised as thoughtful, particularly his commitment to the ideals of fairness and inclusion, and the promise to reward the people’s endurance pain accompanying the removal of fuel subsidy with vast investments in public amenities. The nation rose to watch the president’s broadcast earlier today in which he traced the country’s democratic journey and the special significance of MKO Abiola’s sacrifice and courage after his June 12 victory was annulled by anti-democratic forces. He challenged the nation to continue to walk the path of democracy which, according to him, has been…
President Bola Tinubu has offered assurance to Nigerians that the pain felt across the country over the removal of oil subsidy will not be in vain and is in the long-term interests of the country as his administration is prepared to make massive investments in transportation infrastructure, education, regular power supply, healthcare and other public utilities that will improve the quality of lives. He gave this assurance in his Democracy Day address which was broadcast to the nation earlier today to mark the June 12 holiday. Noting the significance of the day to Nigeria’s democratic journey, he reiterated his shared…