Witty Global blog

  Nigeria will spend about $1.2 million (about N550 million) on hiring luxury buses that will transport its stranded citizens from Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, to Egypt. An official said the citizens would then be airlifted from Egypt to Nigeria. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama , said this while addressing journalists at the State House, Abuja, at the end of Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Nigeria has commenced the evacuation of its citizens from Sudan following the recent fighting between security agencies in the North African country. “Just to provide an update on what is happening about the evacuation of Nigerians in Sudan,” Mr Onyeama said. “You recall that the main challenge we had was, first of all, securing the authorization of the Sudanese government and then security support for the convoy.“We have decided to transport or convey Nigerian to the Egyptian border

  The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has criticised Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Tinubu, for not including Igbo people in his transition committee. Mr Tinubu recently nominated 14 people to the committee to assist him in achieving a smooth transition from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to his own on 29 May. In the list of nominees seen by PREMIUM TIMES, no Igbo person was on the committee. Reacting, the Vice-President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Damian Okeke-Ogene, accused the president-elect of being a “tribalist”, according to a  report by Vanguard newspaper. “Igbophobia is in his (Tinubu) veins, and by not including Igbo people in the handover committee, he is only trying to reopen old wounds. He inherited the hatred (Muhammadu) Buhari has against Igbo, especially when the President-elect has said he will continue from where the incumbent president stopped,” Mr Okeke-Ogene was quoted as saying. “He said he will continue with Buhari’s policies, and ou

  The Labour Party has dissociated from a viral letter signed by the self-acclaimed factional national chairman of the party, Lamidi Apapa, asking the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to dismiss all cases by the party's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, against the emergence of the All Progressives Congress Bola Tibubu, in the February 25 General election. According to a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by the party's acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, it partly read, "We urged the Tribunal in Abuja to disregard the antics by Apapa, who us a suspended Deputy National Chairman of our party. Ifoh, who later spoke on Channels Television's Politics Today programme on Tuesday, alleged that Apapa sought to jeopardise Obi's victory with his action. "Approaching the tribunals to withdraw all the cases lodged by Labour Party candidates across the board is the height of subterfuge and treachery. He maintained that Nigerians would

  A former presidential candidate, Chief Ambrose Owuru, has filed a new suit at the Court of Appeal in Abuja against the May 29 inauguration of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Owuru, who participated in the 2019 presidential election under the platform of Hope Democratic Party (HDP), in the suit, is explicitly asking for an order prohibiting President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from swearing in Tinubu as president come May 29. In the new suit marked CA/CV/259/2023, the plaintiff also wants the court to stop Buhari, AGF and INEC from taking further steps on the 2023 presidential election that produced Tinubu as the winner. Owuru predicated his case against the swearing-in of Tinubu or anybody else as successor to Buhari because he is the constitutionally adjudged winner of the 2019 election and has yet to spend his tenure as required by law. Among others, Owuru insisted that Pres

  PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate Peter Obi; Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, amongst many others, have congratulated Muslims across the country on the occasion of this year's Eid-el-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan.  Buhari, in his Sallah message by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, congratulated Muslims on successfully completing this demanding spiritual obligation. . He said: "We shouldn't forget the essential lessons of Ramadan, which include improving our bond with the underprivileged and poor members of society. The goodwill messages came as Muhammad Abubakar Sahad, president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSIA, said the crescent to mark the end of Ramadan fasting had been sighted. In a broadcast, Sahad, the Sultan of Sokoto, said his office received information on the moon's sighting to end the fasting, announcin

  President-elect Bola Tinubu appointed 13 Nigerians to the Presidential Inauguration Committee before the May 29 ceremony. Tinubu listed the names in a letter to the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, Chairman of the Presidential Transition Council (PTC). Abdulazeez Yar’Adua, a younger brother of the late President Umar Yar’Adua, will serve as the Head of Security and Ceremonial Parade.  President of Aspire Women Forum (AWF), Zainab Marwa-Abubakar, daughter of ex-Lagos Military Administrator Gen Buba Marwa (retd), will coordinate Pre-Inauguration Dinner and Gala Night. Director of Media and Publicity at the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, will hold the same position on the committee. Former Borno North Senator and All Progressives Congress (APC) National Deputy Chairman Abubakar Kyari is the Director of Finance and Budget. The Executive Director (Business Development) at the Nigeria Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank, Stella Okotete, is the Head o

  Saida Mouh, the mother of PSG defender Achraf Hakimi, has finally reacted to the News of her son transferring all his assets to her. Witty News recall that News broke on social media last week that Hakimi dribbled his ex-wife, Hiba Abouk, in their divorce process by putting all his fortune in his mother's name to deny the mother of his two kids a juicy divorce settlement. Reacting to the News, Mrs Saida Mouh suggested nothing was wrong, even if her son's information about his property transfer to her was accurate.  According to her, 24-year-old Hakimi wouldn't be able to get rid of his 36-year-old wife if he didn't take drastic steps. "If he has taken any action to protect himself, I'm unaware of it," Morocco World News quoted Hakimi's mother. "What's the problem if the News is true? If my son does not do this, he will not be able to get rid of that woman [Hiba Abouk]."

  A driver of a painted commercial bus yesterday died when his bus had a head-on collision with another bus belonging to the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) at Ifako in the Ogudu area of the state. It was gathered that the driver of the commercial bus, which somersaulted twice, died instantly as a result of loss of control due to overspeeding. The director Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr Adebayo Taofiq, who confirmed the accident, said operatives of LASTMA rescued seven passengers with various degrees of injuries. Adebayo said preliminary investigation revealed that the fully loaded commercial bus was coming from Lagos Island to Ogudu when the accident occurred. He said, “LASTMA has carried out a series of enlightenment campaigns warning motorists, particularly commercial bus drivers, to stop overspeeding and adhere strictly to speed limit signs erected by the government across the state”.As emergency responders, in

  Nasir El-Rufai, the Kaduna State Governor, said if efforts from security agents are not intensified, bandits and terrorists could take advantage of the transition period to inflict bloody attacks in the country, especially in the North West and Northern region. El-Rufai on Wednesday disclosed this at the presentation of a security report by the Kaduna state government in the state capital. He called for escalated security operations against bandits and terrorists in the case of increased terror in the remaining days of the current administration and beyond.  The reviewed 2022 annual and first quarter 2023 security reports showed that 1,266 and 4,973 persons were killed and kidnapped in 15 months. “We appeal for an escalation of security operations over the 39 days remaining till the end of the tenure of this administration and beyond so that the change of baton at the federal level does not result in a dangerous lull that criminal outlaws can exploit”, he stated. Following the report

In the just concluded 2023 presidential election, President-elect Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu  congratulated the winners nationwide on Saturday’s supplementary polls, urging them to brace up to serve the people with diligence and dedication. He also called on the police to investigate the exercise in Adamawa State, where the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) illegally announced a winner of the governorship election while collation had not been concluded. Mr Tinubu stated this in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted supplementary elections last Saturday in 2,660 polling units across 185 local government areas in 24 states. Among them were the governorship elections in Adamawa and Kebbi States. They were declared inconclusive or postponed during the February 25 and March 18 elections. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the REC in Adamawa State, Hudu Ari, illegally declared Aishatu Dahiru, popularly called Binani, as the winner

  Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State says the act of Hudu Ari in seeking to manipulate the outcome of the just concluded governorship election in Adamawa State is an embarrassment to Bauchi State, where Hudu comes from. Bala, who spoke to newsmen in Yola when he paid a congratulatory visit to his Adamawa State counterpart, Ahmadu Fintiri, after Fintiri’s reelection earlier on Tuesday, stressed that Hudu’s kith and kin back home are depressed by his action. “For us in Bauchi, we are highly embarrassed and disgruntled. We feel ashamed that one of our own came and perpetrated this action,” Governor Bala Mohammed said.  He described corruption, believed to have driven Hudu’s action, as a condemnable act that must be rejected by every right-thinking person. “Corruption is temporary, and whatever is gotten through such means will not stand,” he asserted. He urged fear of God and adherence to playing the game by the rules and commended Governor Fintiri for staying true to himself and beli

  • NEC expels Arambabi Abayomi, suspends eight others over anti-party activities The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians to remain calm and steadfast in reclaiming the mandate of a New Nigeria. A statement by the Obi/Datti media team said Obi, in spirit-lifting words to Nigerians, particularly the Obidients, noted that he will never give up on the journey until victory is achieved. The LP Presidential candidate, who spoke in Asaba while addressing the National Executive Committee, NEC of the party, said he never expected the journey to a new Nigeria to be an easy one, saying that the forces who had, over the years, lived off the old order, were bound to fight back, as is being experienced now. Underscoring the determination of the group involved in this project to resist intimidation or harassment of any kind and from any quarter, Obi said, "If they come at us through land, air, and sea, we will respond to them through land, air, and se

  For over eight years, the conditions of service have not been implemented as the aviation agencies are functioning without governing boards."  Offices of various aviation agencies in Lagos were shut on Tuesday as aviation sector workers embarked on a warning strike, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the offices shut were those of the Ministry of Aviation, the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority. Members of the unions laid siege to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, resulting in gridlocks around the airport and its environs. There was a heavy presence of security agents at strategic points in the area to prevent a breakdown of law and order as unionists chanted solidarity songs. The Secretary-General of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, Abdul Saidu, expressed disappointment that conditions of service in the sector had yet to be implemented after eight y