NPC Chairman, Nasir Issa Kwara   *****       Whereabouts of Another N500m Office Complex Fund Unknown   *****       As APC Group Calls For Sack, Prosecution of NPC Chairman Controversy has continued to trail recent revelations by the National Population Commission (NPC) that it has expended over N200 billion preparing for the conduct of the now suspended 2023 national census exercise.  The federal government through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed in April, announced the indefinite postponement of the exercise which was previously scheduled for May 3-7, 2023.   But the NPC’s Chairman, Nasir Issa Kwara, during a breakfast meeting with media executives in Abuja over the weekend, said that the federal government released N224bn, of the N800bn that was budgeted for the exercise.   He also explained that the commission has so...

                Garus Gololo The leadership of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has been asked to put measures in place to protect the party from the influence of a former Zamfara State governor, Abdullaziz Yari.   The ruling party was warned against backing Yari’s ambition to be the President of the Senate for the tenth National Assembly, as the APC was urged not to forget in a hurry the implosion caused within its ranks when the former Zamfara Chief Executive was the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).   This is APC Chieftain and social critic, Dr Garus Gololo, condemned moves by Yari to disobey the party’s zoning arrangement for principal offices in the Senate, by insisting on contesting for the President of the Upper Chamber.   Gololo, while speaking with our Correspondent in Abuja on Saturday, said that as a “loyal party man, I am compelled to lend my voice to the crisis considering the havoc brought on ...

*****Say He Has A Lot To Answer To *****Wants Finance Minister, Malami, Amaechi, Others, Investigated           CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele   The Department of State Security Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Police have been urged to stop the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele from leaving the country. National Coordinator for Northern Conscience 2023 (NCfor2023), Dr Garus Gololo, on Sunday frowned at news making the rounds that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved for Emefiele to embark on a study leave abroad. But Gololo who is also a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), told Daily Independent in Abuja that the “President’s decision was not in the interest of the country. Nigeria belongs to all of us and not only to Buhari. “This is a man that wasted millions in a failed currency redesign attempt, and put millions of Nigerians in untold hardship. “...

         Terrorists Invade Niger Communities Scores of farmers have allegedly been kidnapped by terrorists in Kaffin-Koro and other neighbouring communities around Paikoro local government area in Nigeria State. Witnesses said that the operation which lasted for three hours saw gunmen invading the communities in large numbers on Wednesday afternoon kidnapping yet-to-be-identified victims. According to sources, before to the attacks on Kaffin-Koro Wednesday evening, the villages of Abolo, Kudani, Nani, Kuna, Shunakwa, Sikiti, Zubakere, and Jubidiga were invaded on Tuesday, with one person dead in Sikiti and hundreds of farmers abducted from the eight villages. Residents of the previously assaulted villages were seeking sanctuary in Kaffin-Koro when the bandits struck again. According to Abraham Tanko, a resident, many of the villagers fled into the jungle, Daily Trust reports. “As I speak with you, we are in the bush. We were lucky to have escaped. Th...

    Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje Few weeks to the end of his tenure, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, has been fingered in the sale of state properties to family members and cronies. The accusation was made by Abdullahi Bichi, the Chairman of the transition committee setup by the Governor-elect, Abba Yusuf, to set machineries in motion for a smooth take off of the next administration. Bichi, who led the Recovery of Public Assets Subcommittee, during a visit the Kano State Public Procurement Bureau (Due Process Office) on Wednesday, said that the committee had received information that the Due Process Office had been sold to Abba Ganduje, the governor's son. “The office which was until this afternoon being actively utilized by staff of the office was sold to the son of the exiting governor of the state and we are deeply worried by the manner at which the outgoing governor is mortgaging the common franchise of the good people of Kano state leaves much to be desired,” h...

       Peter Obi Labour Party Presidential Candidate Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party has berated those using accusing his supporters, "Obidients", of abusing and insulting eminent Nigerians.   Obi’s reaction followed insults hauled at the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, over his recent comment on the "president-elect" Bola Tinubu. the LP Presidential Candidate while   condemning the social media attacks, also distanced himself and members of the Obidient family from what he described as another campaign of calumny from opposition ranks.  Adeboye had on Monday, declared that Nigeria would prosper under the incoming administration of Bola Tinubu. He had said Tinubu could fix Nigeria with God’s help, while urging the president-elect to fulfill Nigerians’ dream of a new nation. Adeboye had through his Special Assistant, Pastor Dele Balogun, during a monthly Thanks...

                    Pastor Uche Aigbe   A suit of illegal possession of fire arm preferred against Pastor Uche Aigbe of the House on the Rock Refuge Church, Wuye, by the Inspector General of Police, has been adjourned by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Magistrate Court sitting in Zuba, Abuja. The adjournment followed the change of Aibe’s lawyer to Barrister O.E Ube, who sought for an adjournment of the trial on Wednesday in line with Section 36 (A) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. his plea was however objected to, by the prosecution counsel, JCA Idachaba, who argued that Section 36 of the constitution cited by the defence counsel did not envisage indulgence and the defence application was too many. But the court granted the defence counsel prayer and adjourned the case to May 25, 2023, for definite hearing. Aigbe, and two others, Promise Ukachukwu and Olakunle Ogunleye, are being ...

  The Nigerian Police in Anambra State has said that it has killed no fewer than five suspected armed members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN). The state Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng, at a press conference on Wednesday, said that “By3pm (Wednesday) joint security forces in a village, Akwaihedi, Nnewi south, a border town between Imo and Anambra States accosted a deadly gang of five operating on motorbikes suspected to be members of proscribed Indigenous People of Brafia (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) who were enroute to Anambra for a planned attack/operation. “The operatives engaged the assailants, neutralized five of the gang members, and recovered two rocket launchers, four Ak47 rifles, one automatic pump action, four magazines, eight live ammunition, police berets, charms, and other incriminating items. “There were some major positive developments today 10/5/2023, following so much credible information to the Po...

    Ben Akabueze, DG, Budget Office of the Federation     The federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari, has been described as fast exceeding its already shrunk borrowing space. The DG, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, on Wednesday at the induction of newly-elected lawmakers of the 10th National Assembly, which took place at the International Conference Centre (ICC), in Abuja. Akabueze said that “While the size of the FG budget for 2023 created some excitement, the aggregate budgets of all governments in the country amount to about 30 trillion Naira, that is less than 15 percent in terms of ratio to GDP. “Even on the African continent, the ratio of spending is about 20 percent. South Africa is about 30 percent, Morocco is about 40 percent and at 15 percent, that is too small for our needs. “That is why there is a fierce competition for the limited resources. That can determine how much we can relatively borrow. We now have very limi...

         APC Chieftain, Garus Gololo      ****Roots For Betare As House of Representatives Speaker ****Laments Undue Attention On Northwest In Speakership Selection ****Warns Governing Party Against Giving Yari Room To Contest Senate Presidency The governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has been commended for its decision to zone the top offices of the Senate and House of Representatives in a manner that “promotes unity, national cohesion and stability”. The party was also applauded for its choice of Senators Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibril as the President of the Senate, and the Deputy President of the Senate respectively, as its national leadership has been urged to try other zones besides the northwest for the speakership position of the House of Representatives. APC Chieftain and Coordinator, Northern Conscience for 2023, Garus Gololo, in an interview in Abuja on Monday, wondered why the party’s “National Working Committee (NWC)...

*****Say He Warned Senators Not To Collect Money from Aspirants   *****APC Zones Senate, HoR Top Offices   Senator Ali Ndume Senator Ali Ndume (APC Borno South) on Monday gave an update on the backstage politicking that influenced the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) decision to zone the coveted Senate President to the South-South. He revealed that efforts were made to dissuade lawmakers from collecting financial inducements as motivation for pitching their tents with aspirants for the seat. Ndume narrated his disappointment when a Senator called him asking to know what the Borno South lawmaker and Chairman of the Committee of the Upper Chamber on Army wanted. “Senators are men of integrity and so I have told them not to collect money from any aspirant. Even though I heard that money has changed hands, nobody has approached me to say that he would give him money. I was the first among the contestants who indicated an interest in writing that I wanted to b...

                              Senator   Godswill Akpabio, President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu In the last two weeks or more the country has been awash with media releases, reports, and sponsored Kangaroo Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) drumming support for all and sundry lobbying to be the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and or his/her Deputy respectively. The Southeast block in the Senate had left no one in doubt as to its intention to clinch the coveted seat. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a man who spearheaded the presidential drive of the current Senate President, Ahmad Lawan (ahead of the APC primaries) sought the seat with such fervency as the drippings of cold winter. Some commentators had said that Senator Kalu thought, dreamt, and wore the ambition of becoming the Senate President for the 10th National Assembly like the proverbial "ibi" troublin...