De - Bliss

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has lamented what he described as the “manipulation of vital institutions of democracy and radical decline of democratic freedoms in Nigeria.” A statement by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu, said the deputy senate president made the assertion during the PDP National Stakeholders meeting, which held at the Ekiti State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, on Monday. Ekweremadu also said that the solidarity of all key organs and bodies of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remained with the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP National Caretaker Committee despite the judgment of the Court of Appeal on the party’s leadership tussle. Such large-scale lack of support for Sherriff, he ethused, showed that “it is not the hood that makes the monk”. Reacting to the sealing of the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja, the earlier announced venue of the PDP Stakeholders meeting by the security agencies, Ekweremadu said that “such flagrant ma...

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kola Awodein, has reacted to news making the rounds that he gave Justice Niyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, currently standing trial for alleged corruption, the sum of N500,000.00 at the behest of President Muhammadu Buhari, during the contrived certificate issue affecting the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Awodein (SAN) describes the allegation as “malicious, utterly ridiculous, and revolting,” in a statement released today. Below is the statement by Kola Awodein (SAN), which shows that the President was in no way linked with Justice Ademola at all: “I am constrained to make in absolute good faith , in good conscience and in the interest of justice and fair play the following very short statement on account of the distorted news story currently being peddled as affecting the person of Mr. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and my good and very noble self. “The very simple and plain facts ...

President Muhammadu Buhari has extended his appreciation to Nigerians for their goodwill and a prayer, saying his condition has improved. Buhari, who spoke for about three minutes in vernacular, on phone, with Governor Ganduje, while a prayer session was going on at Africa House, Government House, Kano, said he is feeling better. “Alhamdulillah (all praise be to Allah)”, he said when Ganduje enquired “how are you feeling now Your Excellency? During the prayer session, which was broadcast live by local radio stations in Kano, Ganduje told the President that Islamic scholars and Imams in Kano were praying for his speedy recovery. To this, the President remarked “Maa shaa Allah”, meaning, “God willed it”, an Arabic phrase used to show appreciation for a person or happening and is evoked upon hearing good news. He expressed the hope that Allah will accept the prayers and asked the governor to extend his best wishes to the Islamic scholars. Governor Ganduje, who was highly elated, re...

Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Garba Abari , has appealed to Nigerians to stop referring to Nigeria as `Najia’ to keep its originality. Abari said, in Abuja, on Tuesday, that the new trend of making funky the original name of Nigeria was worrisome and not in the best interest of the country. “We try in all our advocacy visits to insist that Nigeria must be referred to as Nigeria and not Naija. “So, our schools have a role to play in this; the media itself has also got a very fundamental role to play because it is the media that helps in the propagation of this kind of misnomer. “All of us, as individuals, as corporate organisations, as media, whether broadcast, print or online, must wake up to the reality. “That the more we use these misnomers referring to our country, the fallout of it is that, a significant percentage of our younger ones will not even remember that Nigeria is the original name of our country. “I want to appeal to all Nigerians, young a...

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has written the Senate that he won’t sign into law four bills passed by the National Assembly. The bills are Dangerous Drugs Amendment Bill 2016, National Lottery Commission Bill 2016, Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund 2016, and Currency Conversion Freezing Order Amendment Bill 2016. Osinbajo had last week assented to seven bills passed by the legislature. President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who read Osinbajo’s letter to senators during plenary, said the chamber would seek legal advice on the matter as it had to do with separation of power.

Former President President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday he did not endorse Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The former President’s media aide Ikechukwu Eze, in a statement said: “The issue of endorsement never came up in the course of the visit, not at the closed door session with Sheriff nor during the former President’s interview with newsmen”, the statement said. Jonathan who repeatedly addressed Sheriff as “my chairman” during the visit, accused the media of infusing mischief in their report, stressing that he welcomed Sheriff to his house in line with a mediation role he was playing towards undying and strengthening the PDP. According to the statement, the ex-president opened his doors to Sheriff upon the latter’s request, just as he had earlier done to the Makarfi-led caretaker committee members. It added that the former President was prepared to broker more talks until the issues in the leadership of the PDP were finall...