WOODPECKER BLOG

EXCLUSIVE: Magu: Buhari has lost control of his govt., former Nigerian leaders say           By allowing the  State Security Service to undermine him in his quest to make Ibrahim Magu substantive chairman  of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), President Muhammadu Buhari has lost control of his government and should consider overhauling his administration forthwith, two former Nigerian leaders have told PREMIUM TIMES   In separate interviews with this newspaper on Wednesday, the former commanders-in-chief, who spoke on strict anonymity, said Mr. Buhari should be very worried about the direction his administration is headed. “I strongly reject the notion that Buhari is helpless in his own cabinet,” one of the former leaders said. “I would never have allowed such humiliating insubordination in my administration. It was unthinkable that my own appointee would oppose my nominee at the National Assembly. No ...

Senate Summons Malami, Dambazau Over Passport Scandal The ministers were summoned by the Senate’s ad hoc committee on alleged misuse, under remittance, and other fraudulent activities in the collection, remittance and expenditure of Internally Generated Revenue chaired by Senator Solomon Adeola. by DailyTrust NG Mar 26, 2017 The Senate has summoned the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, over alleged passport scandal running into billions on naira.  The ministers were summoned by the Senate’s ad hoc committee on alleged misuse, under remittance, and other fraudulent activities in the collection, remittance and expenditure of Internally Generated Revenue chaired by Senator Solomon Adeola. The ministers, according to a statement by Adeola’s media aide, Chief Kayode Odunaro, were invited along with  four private companies to shed light on multi billion naira E-passpo...

\   Senator Melaye’s WASC Results Show He Had Only Three Credits SaharaReporters has obtained Senator Dino Melaye’s West African Examination Council (WAEC) result sheets showing that the embattled senator was a dismal student who earned only three credits.  The result sheet for the senator, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who represents Kogi West senatorial district, came from a secondary school attended by Mr. Melaye, even though he had kept that aspect of his academic history hidden from the public by scrubbing the school from his profile on the website of the Nigerian Senate. by Saharareporters, New York Mar 24, 2017 SaharaReporters has obtained Senator Dino Melaye’s West African Examination Council (WAEC) result sheets showing that the embattled senator was a dismal student who earned only three credits.  The result sheet for the senator, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who represents Kogi West se...

Wednesday, March 8, 2017 N541.8 billion debt: Three Nigerian banks set to take over Etisalat March 8, 2017 Bassey Udo Despite the intervention of the Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, to broker a peaceful resolution between Etisalat Nigeria and a consortium of banks, it appears the effort may not have yielded a truce, as the banks are set to take over the telecoms firm today (Wednesday), PREMIUM TIMES learnt The consortium of some foreign and Nigerian banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank and Zenith Bank, have been having a running battle with the mobile telephone operator over a loan facility totalling $1.72 billion (about N541.8 billion) obtained in 2015. The loan, which involved a foreign-backed guaranty bond, was for Etisalat to finance a major network rehabilitation and expansion of its operational base in Nigeria. However, following the failure of the company to mee...

Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen is now a Grand Commander of Order of the Niger (GCON) and was decorated during his swearing-in as 20th Chief Justices of Nigeria (CJN). He was given the award, Nigeria’s second highest, by acting President Yemi Osinbajo. The inauguration was witnessed by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Chief justices of Nigeria, ministers, Justices of the Supreme Court and other dignitaries. The swearing-in ceremony was conducted Tuesday inside the council chambers of Aso Rock presidential villa, Abuja. Onnoghen, a native of Cross River state, was first appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as acting CJN on November 10, 2016 after the retirement of former CJN, Mahmoud Mohammed. Acting President Osinbajo returned his name to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation as substantive CJN on February 8. The Senate screened and confirmed him on March 1. Prof. Osinbajo said President Muhammadu Buhari had asked him to let the new CJN know that...