The clampdown by Nigerian authorities on the press, including by raiding media organisations and arbitrarily detaining journalists, is having a chilling effect preventing people from freely expressing themselves, Amnesty International said in a briefing today. In 2018, at least four journalists were arrested in Nigeria, double the number in 2017,…

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Usman, has said that the authority is fully committed to providing an enabling environment for businesses to grow in the maritime sector. She stated this on Tuesday while receiving the Danish Ambassador to Nigeria, Jesper Kamp, who paid her a courtesy visit…

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, Jimi Agbaje, has promised to develop all the five divisions of the state into viable economic hubs. He also promised to address the numerous socio-political and economic dislocations that affected indigenes of the state in the last 20 years…

President Muhammadu Buhari says he is impressed with the arrangements by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the general elections and is sure the commission will deliver a credible poll. Mr Buhari said this on Tuesday as he received the European Union Observer Mission (EOM) which arrived Nigeria on…

Members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in the South East geo-political zone have unanimously endorsed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State for a second term in office. The group says it is backing Mr Ugwuanyi for entrenching peace and good governance as well as his accommodating…

The governments of Nigeria and Canada commenced moves to revive a stalled bilateral agreement between both countries during a courtesy visit of the new Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Philip Baker, to Industry, Trade and Investment Minister, Okechukwu Enelamah, in Abuja last week. Mr Baker, who expressed delight to be…

President Muhammadu Buhari has described as "bloody nonsense" the penchant of some Nigerians to hide under the canopy of ethnicity and religion to perpetrate injustice and corrupt acts. Hosting his former staff who worked with him during his tenure as military head of state (January 1984-August 1985) on Sunday night…

The Nigerian presidency has said that sixteen-page letter the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari and released Sunday afternoon is the “last push by desperate politicians” who can’t handle the president politically and have resorted to subterfuge. “Our first message to the former President is that he…

Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president, has extended his appreciation to the people of Plateau State, who turned out in innumerable numbers to welcome him in Jos, Plateau State during his presidential campaign visit on Saturday. The Rwang Pam Township Stadium, venue of the event, was, according Mr Buhari’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina,…

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the inter-communal violence between Tiv and Jukun communities in Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, which left dozens injured and several houses destroyed. Reports say a clash between two groups in Abinsi town near Makurdi, the Benue state capital Thursday degenerated into an…

The elder brother of Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Ali Rufai, a retired Air Vice Marshall, is dead. Mr Rufai, who died in the early hours of Saturday in Abuja, was born on November 10, 1948 in Zaria, Kaduna State. The death was announced via a statement by spokesperson to the Kaduna…

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja appealed for accommodation and tolerance among cattle herders and farmers throughout the country. Speaking at the State House when he received the leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association on Nigeria (MACBAN) on a courtesy visit, the president appealed for calm among all…

The new Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), John Asein, has declared his commitment to the reconstruction and repositioning of the commission for effective regulation and development of the nation’s copyright industry. Following his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Asein stated this at a management meeting upon his…

New satellite images analyzed by Amnesty International show the horrific aftermath of a Boko Haram attack that devastated in Rann, north-east Nigeria, displacing more than 9,000 people earlier this week. The satellite images reveal the true extent of the devastating attack which took place on January 14, in the Borno…

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to fresh corruption allegations made by the federal government. Mr Abubakar in a statement on Friday dismissed as 'cock and bull story', the allegation by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Friday, that he…

Two Nigerian non-governmental organizations, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the Institute for Media and Society (IMS) were on Tuesday named among 15 “Global champions of free expression” shortlisted for the 2019 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards. In a statement in London, the United Kingdom-based campaigning organization, Index on…

The Governor òf Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has offered employment to the wives of two Bayelsa-born pilots who died in action while fighting Boko Haram insurgents. The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Relation, Fidelis Soriwei, quoted Mr Dickson as making the pronouncement when he visited one of the…

Determined to ensure the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria are peaceful, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, will on Wednesday lead religious leaders across the nation in a two-day conference on the role of interfaith communities during the polls. Coming under the auspices…

The Chief of Army Staff of Nigeria, Tukur Buratai, has responded to the joint Freedom of Information request by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Enough is Enough (EiE), and BudgIT requesting him to use his “good offices and leadership position to provide information on spending on military operations across…

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on traditional rulers in the country to use their positions as the closest to the grassroots to secure the country and ensure the forthcoming elections are peaceful. Speaking Friday in Abuja during an audience with a delegation of traditional rulers from the South-west of the…

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja pledged that the federal government will curb illegal tax collections with a view to encouraging more private sector businesses. Receiving the leadership of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers Association of Nigeria (AUFCDN), led by Ali Tahir, Mr Buhari told them his…

Following the resignation of Kawu Sumaila as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub as his replacement. Mr Sumaila, appointed SSA in August 2015, resigned to contest for membership of the House of Representatives…

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja reiterated his commitment to eliminating corruption in campaign financing in the country, pledging that he will not authorise the use of money from the treasury for his re-election campaign. Speaking at the close of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, Mr Buhari directed…

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in Abuja met a delegation from Borno State, during which he reasserted his administration’s unwavering support to equip the military to overcome the insurgency in the North-east. The president also told the delegation led by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State that the collective safety and…

President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated Modibbo Hamman-Tukur as the director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU). The appointment, Mr Buhari said, is in accordance with the provision of Section 5(1) of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) Act 2018. The announcement was made Monday via a statement by Mr Buhari’s…